Rent-A-Boyfriend
by throwingsomeshade
Summary: Scourge gets a kick out of harrassing Amy Rose on a daily basis. Desperate and out of options, she asks a certain handsome, blue hedgehog to pretend to be her boyfriend since he's the only one who could seemingly ward off the creep. Amy's feelings get complicated when she begins to wish that her fake boyfriend was real.
1. Chapter 1

**New SonAmy story! I've just been so inspired to start writing again lately I couldn't help myself! Uploads will be at random but no less than a story a month. Please review or follow! Enjoy!**

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"You are the light of my life, Sally."

A soft giggle erupted behind a hand. A beautiful squirrel with bright blue eyes, Sally, tucked a strand of her bangs behind her ear. She flashed the boy in front her a flirty smile that would make any guy's heart, and groin for that matter, hurt.

That said boy in front of her was the one and only Sonic the Hedgehog. Anyone would agree that he was equally as attractive. He had a grin that could make several teenage girls weak in the knees. The hedgehog's blue fur and green eyes just made him even more captivating.

"Oh Sonic," Sally gushed with a smooth voice. Sonic grabbed her hands into his. People glanced at the young couple in admiration, some even jealousy. The two stood in the middle of the outdoor mall for all to see.

Out of the crowd, there was one man who didn't enjoy the scene before him. He watched with his inner frustration growing as the squirrel and hedgehog began to lean in close.

Unable to handle the possibility of them kissing, the monkey jumped up onto his feet. He stormed over to the couple, ripped the hedgehog away from the girl of his dreams.

Sonic's eyes widened in surprise. "What's your problem man?" he asked defensively while looking over the monkey. He noted that the other boy seemed somewhat plain compared to the gorgeous girl beside him, not that looks really mattered.

Sally had a more calm reaction than the hedgehog. "Ken?" she wondered out loud, her voice hinted with hope.

The monkey, Ken, gave her a brief smile before frowning at Sonic. "You're my problem," he growled while jabbing a finger into his chest. "I've been her best friend for years. I've had her back and she's had mine. And guess what? That entire time I've been completely in love with her! Then you come out of nowhere and are suddenly dating her? You haven't seen all of the great sides to Sally like I've had. You don't deserve her!" Ken's chest was heaving by the end of his lecture.

Sally's eyes had began to water up at the kind words. "Oh Ken!" she yelled in delightment. Sally threw her arms around the monkey's neck.

Ken's attention was averted from Sonic, he didn't see the faint smile that played at the hedgehog's lips.

Ken pulled back for a moment to gaze directly into Sally's blue eyes. The world seemed to slow between the two as she felt her heart soar. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner Sally Acorn," Ken whispered to her while stroking her soft cheek, "but I am completely in love with you. I will not let anyone take you from me." He then pulled her into a first kiss, which she happily returned.

After their kiss the new couple continued to embrace in a huge. Sally looked at Sonic from over her new lover's shoulder with a beaming smile. 'Thank you' she mouthed to him. Sonic just returned with a thumbs up, unsure of what exactly to do with himself.

When Ken had finally let go of Sally, he turned to Sonic with a more positive attitude. "Sorry man," he briefly said, although Sonic figured he didn't truly mean it, "no hard feelings?"

Sonic half raised his hands in a surrender, "No problemo."

Ken snaked an arm around Sally's shoulders. He swung her around into the opposite direction, leading her deeper into the mall.

Sonic stood for a few seconds, listening to their chatter fade into all the other commotion of the busy square. He stuffed his hands into the pockets of her jeans and turned into some other direction to find the exit of the property.

Sonic inhaled deeply when he finally stepped away from the compacted crowd. He was never a fan of malls, save for the cool lights at night and the food court.

He fished out his outdated phone and flipped it open. A new message read: _Consider the rest of your rent covered. -Sally_

Sonic didn't bother to respond to the message. He very well appreciated it, but always got awkward when talking to clients after the job was done. Instead, he dialed up his best friend Tails.

It ran for a few seconds before he heard the other end click on. "Hey buddy," Sonic said to the air, "whatcha up to?"

….

Amy blinked in surprise as her locker door suddenly slammed right before her face. Her mouth was slightly gaped open as she clutched onto the remaining half of her books.

"Look at this," a cool voice came from her side, "it's my favorite little rose."

The girl saw that it had to be Scourge the Hedgehog. He was bad news, and she knew it. The thing was, he could be endearing, if she hadn't already seen his true self. Scourge had this fake bad boy attitude to hide that he was really just a down to Earth asshole. Amy didn't buy into his fighting scars or leather jacket.

Amy felt shivers go up her arms as his breath hit the tip of her ears. She cringed and shoved his hand away from the door of her locker.

"Get lost," Amy glared at him while she proceeded to unlock the door.

"Oh c'mon baby," Scourge tried to purr seductively. He toyed slightly with the hem of her dress. Amy tried to ignore it as she moved quicker to shove her books into her backpack.

Amy mentally kicked herself for wearing a dress to school. She didn't think about the perverts every morning while getting dressed.

Amy slung her backpack over her shoulder, pushing Scourge away with it in the process. He didn't seem bothered by her actions. If anything, he was more amused by her.

"You know," he fell into stride beside Amy, who picked up her pace, "I don't get why you fight me baby. I know you want it."

"Bite me," Amy growled.

Scourge smirked. Amy paused in her step with a nervous feeling growing in her stomach. He twisted one of her quills around his finger and leaned in close to her ear. "Gladly," Scourge deeply spoke into Amy's ear.

Amy backhanded Scourge the moment she felt his lips brush against the side of her ear. She took off, blending into the sea of teenagers. Scourge didn't bother trying to follow her. He winked at girl passing by before turning down another hallway.

Amy ducked out of the doors and leaned against the exterior of the school. She heaved in relief when she noticed that her creeper was no longer on her tail. Amy sighed and closed her eyes, taking in the fragile moment of peace.

"Hi, Amy!"

Amy yelped as she looked to her side. She was relieved when her eyes laid upon a slightly smaller, orange fox with two tails, hence the nickname Tails.

The younger boy looked at her with a raised eyebrow, "Geez, you look like you've seen a ghost."

"Yeah, a green one at that," a smile played at Amy's lips.

"Let me guess: Scourge?" Tails deadpanned.

Amy nodded her head as she began to walk down the sidewalk. She forced any negative thoughts or feelings away. Getting uncomfortable with the subject at hand, the pink hedgehog decided to change the subject. "What are you up to after school?"

Tails shrugged his shoulders. "Hanging out with an old friend of mine."

"Do I know him?" Amy wondered.

Tails hummed and shrugged his shoulders once again. "Probably not. We don't really hang out around school a lot and he barely shows up as it is."

"Sounds like a total slacker," Amy joked while nudging Tails' shoulder with hers.

"Tell me about it," he muttered while he boarded the bus.

The two sat together and made small talk for as much as they could. Amy eventually turned to look out the window while Tails pulled out his phone to text his friend that was previously mentioned.

Over time, the over crowded bus began to quiet. Soon, Tails had to leave Amy behind to get off at his stop. Amy was left with a few other strangers scattered throughout the bus.

….

"Dude, do you see this?" Sonic exasperatedly motioned towards all the opened cabinets, courtesy of yours truly.

Tails glanced up from his notebook. He peered through his glasses trying to understand what exactly Sonic had meant. "Nothing?" Tails took a wild guess.

"Exactly," Sonic groaned. "You have literally no food."

Tails rolled his eyes. He had gotten used to his Sonic complaining about there being no food every time he made himself at home. Tails didn't bother grocery shopping much because whenever he had, the hedgehog would practically vacuum it all up. Tails could've sworn that Sonic was a bottomless pit.

"Also," Sonic added, not noticing that Tails didn't bother to attempt to reply, "I didn't come by to hang out to watch you do your homework."

Tails pinched the bridge of his nose while he realized that he would not be left in peace to finish his work. "You know you probably have a lot to do yourself," Tails smirked slightly, "considering you missed the last two classes."

Sonic nonchalantly shrugged as he moved to close all of the cabinets. "Yeah?" he asked over his shoulders.

"Yep," Tails simply replied. "What did you have to do?"

"Work," Sonic vaguely said.

"Really?" Tails didn't sound convinced. "How old was she?"

"17," Sonic thought for a moment, "I think. I don't know. She was nice; from a school on the eastside that had the day off. She paid double for me to miss class so I went with it."

"Everything work out okay?" Tails questioned Sonic while he cleaned up all his papers. He shoved them into his book bag to carry around in case if the opportunity were to arise for him to finish any homework.

Sonic nodded his head, remembering the scene earlier in the mall. "I didn't even have to kiss the girl. Some guy was following us around the whole time and finally stepped up seconds before anything could really happen."

"I assume that's good," Tails pulled the straps over his shoulder and lead the pair through the front door.

The two headed down to the nearest bus stop. Sonic impatiently tapped his foot while he waited for the driver to arrive, "I don't get why you won't just let me run us to the restaurant."

"I thought you didn't want people to see you running all over the place?" Tails inquired his friend.

"I don't want people to get all weird about my speed," Sonic scrunched his face at the thought. "Besides they usually don't see me anyway. Anyone who has doesn't know who I am. Shockingly, I'm not the only blue hedgehog out there."

"Either way, I'm not risking someone seeing you carry me around like I'm your bride or something."

Sonic chuckled at his little buddy.

….

Amy walked into the family restaurant. Despite the loud chatter of the busy joint, she came here anyways on Wednesdays for a study group. The carpeting was old and scratchy. The wallpaper didn't match it either. The walls were covered in various types of photos: from outdated pictures of the building to modern art of local students. She had always figured they were trying to go for a homey kind of appeal with the darker lighting and random couches. Amy thought that what really sealed the deal was the heavy amounts of gum stuck under the table.

"Welcome to Viola," a not so peppy woman greeted Amy. She didn't bother to look up from her woman's magazine. Amy had just muttered, "Hello," in return before quickly ducking past the woman.

The girl found her friends sitting on a couple of couches in the corner with a coffee table in front of them. Amy smiled to herself at Cream who kept talking to the group that couldn't appear to be any less interested. The bunny stopped abruptly when she had spotted Amy and waved the girl over.

Cream, although she wasn't in world history, still joined the group with an appreciation for learning, not an obligation. Her brown eyes always doubled in size when she would hear a new fact that no one else seemed to appreciate before.

Amy dropped her bag onto the floor, literally feeling a huge weight lift off her shoulders.

She plopped down to her somewhat friend Shadow. He wasn't as welcoming as some of the others, but Amy still treated him to her bubbly personality. Although Shadow would never admit it outloud, they were friends.

Amy wasn't exactly sure as to why he talked to her. He must've gotten annoyed everytime Amy laughed at his negative attitude or when she would call him "grumpy face" to mock him. She also found humor in the way girls would try to hit on him, even though he never showed and hint of interest. There was something about the black fur or large quills that made girls think he was a dreamy bad boy, when in reality he was just a stubborn introvert.

One of those girls was Rouge the Bat. She too had joined the study group, only because Shadow had somehow gotten into it and she wanted at least a B. Rouge was very beautiful, and that was no secret. Her white fur was always clean and smelled nice. Her clothes were tight enough in all of the right places. Rouge was also a big flirt. She loved to lead guys on and felt even more empowered when she would suddenly turn them down. Rouge was no pushover.

"You're late," Shadow duly noted, although he didn't seem bothered by it, or anything at all for the matter.

"I missed my bus," Amy excused herself as she pulled her textbooks out.

Rouge twisted a strand of hair around her finger. She leaned in towards Shadow, puckering her lips out slightly. "Shadow, dear," Rouge batted her eyes, "would me be a dear and order me a drink."

"No," Shadow bluntly responded. He was one of the few boys who never bought into Rouge's act, no matter how hard she tried. Rouge would laugh at how he would go out of his way to ignore her. Rouge continued to beg Shadow, seeing how hard she would have to work to get him to do as she wished. Amy and Cream both exchanged uncomfortable glances between one another. Although the scene was amusing, she didn't know how much she could stand the one sided flirting.

The two girls abruptly stood up. "We're going to go order," Amy announced.

"I'll get you your drink," Cream included.

"Diet, dear," Rouge smiled while waving the two girls away.

Shadow sent Amy a silent pleading look, most likely to not leave him alone with the feisty bat. Amy smirked while she spun on her heel away from him.

There was a long line leading up to the counter. Amy recognized most of the other people in crowd as students from her school that most likely stopped by for a cheap dinner.

"Are you coming to my party?" Cream suddenly asked Amy as more people lined up behind them.

Amy smiled brightly at her smaller friend, "Of course I am." Cream threw the best, and the only, sober parties there were.

Cream loved to throw parties, in the most innocent way possible. The bunny found joy in gathering all of her friends together when her mother was out of town, with permission of course. She would go all out by hanging colorful lights and baking dozens upon dozens of treats, including her prized white chocolate chip cookies.

"What's the occasion this time?" Amy wondered with a smirk, knowing very well that Cream never had a specific reason for throwing a get together.

Cream glanced towards the ceiling in thought. She brought a finger up to her lower lip and lightly tapped it. "I think I got a B on my last bio test," she said slowly after a moment.

Amy's laugh was cut off by a familiar voice, "Here we are once again, my little rose."

….

"Why is it so crowded in here?" Sonic complained. Tails had mastered how to block out all the whining Sonic had managed to do in less than an hour.

Tails led the way towards the long line. He had spotted Amy and Cream standing deeper into the crowd of people waiting for their orders. He waved to the pair, but neither had seen him.

Sonic raised his eyebrow. "Who are you waving at?" he asked when he saw no one had returned the gesture.

Tails pointed to the two girls, "They're friends from school. You don't know them."

Sonic pretended to be hurt. He clutched his chest with a dramatic gasp. "You have friends other than me?" he wondered in amazement.

Tails rolled his eyes and didn't bother to respond.

The blue hedgehog continued to glance over at the other girls, in a non creepy manner. He didn't recognize either of them from school, then again, he didn't know many people in the first place.

Sonic was used to seeing many hedgehogs around the city, they were one of the most common species of Emerald Town, but a pink one, that was a first. He couldn't get a good look at her face. Her quills hung down just enough to grace her shoulders. A red dress barely grazed across her thighs.

In his observing, Sonic noticed a green hedgehog push some people to the side as he approached the pink girl. They glared at him but he didn't seem to give a damn.

The green hedgehog walked dangerously close to up behind her. Sonic could tell from the way she had froze that she might've not wanted him so close to her person.

The girl spun around, her eyes wide. Sonic almost thought of them to be the same green as his. He found himself instantly ditching the idea and liking hers better. They were bright and jade like the emerald.

Sonic couldn't hear the two, but he could tell the exchange between them wasn't positive. The girl swatted at the green hedgehog's hand as he tried to play at the hem of her dress.

Before he understood what exactly he was going to do, Sonic leaned towards Tails and whispered, "What's your pink friend's name?"

"Amy," Tails shot a confused look towards his best friend, "why?"

Sonic didn't bother responding. He ducked his way through the crowd, muttering an, "Excuse me," along the way.

"Oh come on, babe," the green hedgehog half begged Amy. She shot a glare at him. Sonic noted how she tried to back away, but was caged in by the crowd that didn't seem to care about the harassment going on.

Sonic took this moment to step between the two before the green hedgehog tried to reach for Amy once again. "Hey," he lightly placed his hand on Amy's shoulder, being sure not to be too close to her neck, "is this guy bothering you babe?"

Amy's mouth was left gaping slightly at the blue hedgehog. Had she seen him before? The way he used the affectionate nickname felt more comforting than coming from the green hedgehog she had despised.

"Who's this?" Scourge sneered.

Sonic gave him a cocky smile. "Her boyfriend," he casually threw his arm over her shoulders. Sonic was silently thankful that she didn't shrug him off.

Amy's face began to burn bright red. She couldn't look away from the blue boy beside her.

"And you are?" Sonic pressed on.

"Scourge," he narrowed his eyes at Sonic and smugly folded his arms. "I haven't seen you around her before. How long have you two been dating?"

"3 weeks," the sudden couple said in usion, Amy's voice was more panicked than Sonic's though. The two glance at one another. Amy's nervousness was replaced with an impressed smile.

Scourge glared at the two. "How come I don't buy it?" he finally said after looking back and forth from one hedgehog to the other.

Sonic shrugged, "That sounds like a you problem." He took a step closer to Scourge. "But," Sonic tried to drop his voice just enough to get a message across, "if I see you touch her again we're gonna have a problem."

A few other customers began to look in their direction, attracted to the drama. Scourge growled at Sonic, not appreciating a threat. "I'm not scared of you," he spat. The two hedgehogs had a stare down. Scourge casted one last look at Amy before stalking off into the other direction, not wanting to waste his energy for the moment.

Sonic finally turned to face directly at Amy. He didn't think much of her face still blushing. Before Sonic could manage to say a word to her, Tails appeared by his side.

"Hi, Amy!" the young fox exclaimed, not fully away of what had just happened. He then looked over her shoulder towards the small rabbit. "Hi, Cream," he greeted her in a more shy manner.

The rabbit waved back at him with a small smile.

Amy raised an eyebrow towards the fox, wondering where he had came from.

Tails gestured a thumb towards Sonic, "This is my friend I was telling you about."

Sonic smirked at his friend, "You were talking about me?" He only continued to grin as Tails made a point to ignore him.

Amy held her hand out to Sonic, "I'm Amy." She smiled brightly at the boy, trying not to think of him as rather handsome, even though he was.

"I know," Sonic immediately responded. He felt embarrassed at how off that had sounded. "I mean," Sonic stuttered when he saw Amy furrow her eyes and retract her hand, "that's what I heard Tails call you." Sonic chuckled to himself as he brought a hand up to scratch the back of his head. He glanced between the other three, not liking how none of them were speaking up.

"Why does that guy keep bothering you?" Tails finally let Sonic feel relieved for no longer standing in silence.

Amy looked down at the floor with a sigh. "I have no idea," she muttered. Amy crossed her arms over her torso, as if she was trying to cover herself.

Cream frowned as she looked up at her friend. She knew Amy didn't mean it. On the other hand, the two dense boys were oblivious.

"What's your name?" Amy asked the blue hedgehog, hoping to change the subject.

"I'm Sonic, Sonic the Hedgehog," he gave her a toothy grin. Both Amy and Cream exchange a look before giggling amongst themselves. Sonic's smile faded into confusion. "What?"

"Do you always introduce yourself like that?" Amy teased.

"Like what?" Sonic wondered, not catching on.

The Cream noticed that they were close to the front of the line. She nudged Amy up towards the counter before the pink hedgehog could further answer him.

"It was nice meeting you Sonic," Cream smiled up at him.

"Thanks for warding off the perverts," Amy added. She gave Sonic a genuine. He felt her bright green eyes bore into his own. He found a liking to them, but something made him feel as if she could see straight into him. Sonic scratched the back of his head while looking off to the side.

Before either of the boys could respond, they felt a group of teenagers behind them lightly shove them to the side in either direction. Sonic heard one of them mumbled a word about no cutting.

"Hey!" Tails glared at the bunch of guys who were double in size. A cheetah returned the look twice as viscous, causing the fox to shrink to the back of the line.

Sonic didn't complain. For once, he felt more patience than his two tailed friend.

….

By the time Amy had stepped out of the diner, the sun had long set. She checked her phone. It was barely 7.

Rouge waved to the group before flying off into the evening. The bat had late night outs every night, Amy wouldn't be surprised if she managed to find some college party to crash.

Shadow, Cream, and Amy all turned to walk down the sidewalk in the other direction, all with their back packs slung over their shoulders.

"When's your next test?" Amy asked Shadow, at an attempt to make small talk.

"I don't really know," Shadow murmured.

Unlike Amy and Cream, Shadow was homeschooled. He claimed that he only went to their study group to get the basic social interactions necessary. In big crowds, he remained the quiet wallflower. Young girls would find him mysterious and endearing, little did they know Shadow was judging them from afar.

Shadow thought of most of them as phonies. He didn't like how easily it had become to break trust. Shadow would admit that he wasn't the nicest person ever, but if he was anything it would be honest.

"Hey, Shadow?" Amy asked to get his attention, even though she already had it. He hummed in response while tilting his head slightly. "Do you know a Sonic?"

Amy saw how Shadow's eye twitched. He stopped in his place for a brief second. Both of the girls noticed his actions but didn't call him out on it. "No," Shadow sternly said after a hard gulp. He stuffed his hands into his pockets and walked ahead.

Shadow left after Cream and Amy reached their bus stop. Neither of the girls saw him disappear around the side of a building.

Cream slyly smiled while staring at a thrift store across the street, "You thought Sonic was pretty handsome didn't you?"

Amy's ears perked up. "What do you mean?" she stuttered, her voice rising two octaves.

Cream turned her head to the pink hedgehog. Her innocent, brown eyes reflected the light of the moon. "You wouldn't stop staring at him," Cream giggled, "and your face is as red as a fire truck."

Like the mature adult Amy was, she turned away from Cream and pouted. "Can it."

….

Amy didn't realize how much she was dreading running into Scourge until she found herself frozen in front of the front doors of school. It had been a decent five minutes and Amy couldn't bring herself to budge.

Amy was feeling confident while she had gotten dressed in the morning; she wore thick frilled socks, a rose dress and a white, sweater pullover. Now, that confidence had drained from her system.

All of the harassment from Scourge had gotten worse lately. She had hoped if she pretended not to care, then he would get bored and leave her alone, but the opposite had happened. Scourge was trying to trail his hand up her leg every chance he had, and Amy was really tired of it. The only time he had left her alone was the previous day when he had believed that she had a new boyfriend.

"Hi Amy," Cream came up to her best friend's side. Amy continued to stare at the door. "I think you're supposed to walk through it," the rabbit commented.

"Not when you know what terrors lie on the other side," Amy grumbled.

Amy mustered up all her strength to step inside the building with Cream. She decided that she would do her best to just forget about Scourge.

"You're so dramatic," Cream giggled.

Amy shrugged her shoulders. She sighed of relief when no one had bombarded her within the first minute. Amy continued on her way to her locker.

Everything was hunky-dory for the morning. Through the crowds of the people, Am hadn't seen one inch of green. From period to period, she had slowly let her guard down. Unfortunately for Amy, this time of peace had not lasted.

She was the last student to wander the halls after meeting with a teacher. Amy didn't understand why she put so much effort into all of her classes and barely managed an A.

While walking, she suddenly froze in her tracks. A feeling of dread rushed through her limbs. Her pink ears twitched for any sign of another person. Amy spun around on her heels. She glared once she realized that her instincts had done her right.

Not far behind was Scourge. "Are you following me?" Amy wondered in disbelief.

His blue eyes ran her figure up and down. Amy shivered when she notice him barely lick his lips. "I don't get why you fight me," Scourge played as he began to circle her.

"I don't get why you stalk me," Amy retorted. She tried her best to appear intimidating, but both hedgehogs knew that she was scared. "What do you want from me?"

Scourge stopped in his tracks. A wicked smirk was smeared across his face, "Many things, babe, but that's besides the point." Scourge turned his head down both ways of the hall. "Where's your boyfriend?" he asked, feigning an innocent voice.

Amy began to slowly walk away from Scourge, without turning her back towards him. With every step in an attempt to create distance, Scourge would step forward.

"That's none of your business," Amy continued to try to keep up her strong front. In her nervousness, she couldn't help but begin to chew on the inside of her cheek

Scourge began to play with the zipper of his leather jacket. "I don't believe you, flower," Scourge sighed rather roughly, "and if I find out that you've been lying to me, we're gonna have a problem."

Amy felt her stomach drop. She was overcome by a new dread. She couldn't tell for sure, but a voice inside her was yelling at her that it was a threat. She clutched her notebook tight to her chest. Amy could feel her hands and knees beginning to shake.

Amy's back hit the cold wall. Although she wasn't pressed up into a corner, she still felt trapped. She silently watched, still shaking, as Scourge stepped closer and closer.

"We wouldn't want that, would we?" the green hedgehog asked in a low voice.

The second Amy felt his breath on her face she flinched. Amy shoved Scourge back and took off down the hall. Once again, he had not followed her. Amy ducked into a classroom for precautions. By the time her breathing calmed down, Amy felt tears straining down her face.

Amy pulled out her phone, not thinking very clearly. It had only rang twice before the other end of the line answered. "Tails," Amy breathed into the phone, "your friend, Sonic, where can I find him?"

….

Sonic laid on his back, tapping his foot ever so slightly. A song that he had heard earlier was stuck in his head. Sonic didn't even like it that much, but he figured it was better to embrace it than fight it.

Sonic's eyes were closed. He liked the feeling of the sun covering his eye lids. It was a good day for an outdoor nap. Sonic felt that the dirt to grass ratio was just right. He was comfortable for once at school.

In the distance, Sonic could hear jocks yelling out commands to one another. The blue hedgehog was too lazy to be a dedicated athlete. He felt that while he enjoyed moving around, he also slept too much.

Sonic twitched as he felt the warmth of the sun shine disappear from his face. He barely opened them to see a face hovering directly above him. Sonic jumped with a small yelp at the sudden presence.

"Sorry," Amy giggled.

Sonic looked at her with a suspicious frown, "What are you doing here?"

"I asked Tails where I could find you," Amy gave a grin brighter than the sun itself, "he just said to look for a spot that would be good for a nap."

"Wise boy."

Amy looked at her surroundings before taking a seat on the grass beside the blue hedgehog. "Behind the bleachers," she noted, "nice."

Sonic closed his eyes once again. He wondered why the pink hedgehog wanted to see him. Could she possibly be following him? "Anyways," Sonic let out a gust of air, "what can I do for you?"

Amy poked his side, causing him to open his eyes and look at her. She found it rude for him to seem so uninterested in their conversation. "Do you remember Scourge from yesterday?" she asked slowly

"Who?"

"The green guy," Amy sighed, hoping that Sonic would be more interested in her.

Sonic nodded his head after a moment. "Yeah," he waved his finger into the air ahead of him, "real creepy dude."

"And you pretended to be my boyfriend?" Amy pressed. She began to grow more shy next to him. Her cheeks reddened slightly.

Sonic sat up at her question. "Let me guess," he deadpanned, "you want me to be your fake boyfriend."

Amy's eyes widened slightly. She had not expected him to seemingly read her mind. Her cheeks grew even more red in embarrassment. Sonic saying the idea aloud made her feel insane. It was a bizarre concept really. Amy had only just met the guy and here she was asking him to be all lovey dovey.

"Yes, actually," Amy laughed awkwardly. She played with the hem of her dress. "It's just that," she added after a heartbeat, "he's never actually left me alone before, until you came along. Plus, I don't have a real boyfriend to protect me."

Amy stared at Sonic. He noticed that she had the round puppy dog eyes that made the color in them intense. People must've found it very hard to say no to, he for sure knew it was becoming a challenge to him already.

The second Amy saw a sign of being turned down, she cut him off before he could even open his mouth. "It doesn't have to be all the time," she quickly spoke, "just when he comes around. Until he gets the hint to never talk to me again, ya know?"

"For how long?" Sonic asked. His voice had turned rather emotionless.

Amy shrugged, "Shouldn't be too long. A month maybe."

"60 rings."

Amy's mouth dropped. "Excuse me?" she said with an offended attitude.

"I guess I could bump it down to 40, since you're friends with Tails and all," Sonic tapped his bottom lip, oblivious to Amy's change in demeanor.

"I'm supposed to pay you?" Amy half yelled in disbelief. She stood and folded her arms, glaring down at Sonic.

Sonic sat up. "Well, yeah," he confirmed, as if it was obvious information. "I mean that's kind of how the business usually works."

Amy stopped in the middle of her eyeroll. "What business?" her glare transformed into a curious look.

"Tails didn't tell you?" Sonic had figured his best friend would've told Amy. That would've been the reason for her coming to him of all people, right? "I work as a fake boyfriend to people," Sonic explained. "They hire me and based on the situation we go out on dates and act like a real couple. Most girls do it to make a guy jealous. I don't mind being used 'cause it pays rent well."

"I didn't even know that was a thing," Amy's voice came out far away, as if she was speaking to herself.

"I made it a thing," Sonic grinned.

Amy's frown returned. "I don't have the money," she argued. "Can't you just do this out of the kindness of your heart?"

Sonic threw his head back to briefly laugh. "I could," Sonic thoughtfully said, "but if I give you special treatment then everyone else is going to want some kind of bargain."

"I didn't know you were such a valuable escort," Amy sarcastically commented. She crossed her arms over her chest with an unamused expression clouding her face.

Sonic finally got off the ground. He was now looking down at Amy, since he was significantly taller. Amy didn't let the height difference make her feel less powerful.

"I'm not an escort," Sonic growled in the manner a little kid would when they tried to claim to be an adult. "I'm just a fake date," he defended himself, "I don't do any of that gross stuff."

Amy wanted to laugh at his phrasing "gross stuff," but held it back. "Fine," she gave up, "it was a stupid idea anyways." She defeatedly turned around and headed back towards the main building.

Sonic didn't know why, but he instantly felt guilty. It wasn't the first time he had turned someone down because they couldn't comply to his rules. He barely even knew the girl, why should he do her a favor? A different voice, yet still his voice, inside his head made a counter argument. Amy was a good friend of Tails, and any friend of Tails was instantly a friend of his.

Sonic groaned quietly in frustration. "Wait, Amy," he called out before she could get too far ahead. The pink hedgehog spun around, a hopeful look in her eyes. "I'll pretend to date you," he sighed. "But," he sternly added before she could react, "you have to follow all of my rules. You know I have a reputation to uphold, there are guidelines, and other stuff."

Sonic wasn't sure if Amy had even heard the last part. She instantly gave an excited yelp and jumped forward towards Sonic. In her burst of energy, she hugged him tight while repeatedly exclaiming, "Thank you!" over and over.

The blue hedgehog's arms remained stiffly at his sides. Sonic wasn't sure as to what he had gotten himself into while subtly trying to pry the hyperactive teenager from him.


	2. Chapter 2

"You're late," Amy noted with slight annoyance as she looked at her phone. She had been spending the past half hour sitting outside alone at a two person table. The pink hedgehog felt slightly embarrassed as the waitress continuously asked her if her "friend" is still coming.

Sonic scratched the back of his head with a slight chuckle. He easily hopped the iron fence that decorated the property line of the restaurant. "Sorry about that," he plopped down on the seat across from Amy. "I got held up." Sonic grinned as in return to her unimpressed look.

"Doing what?" Amy questioned.

Sonic's smile faltered for half a second, just enough for Amy to notice. "I was- uh- nothing," he sputtered out. She could tell he was lying, but didn't bother to further press the subject.

"You know," Amy played with her glass of pop, "you're the one who said we'd have to meet up. So what 'business matters' do you want to discuss?"

Sonic held up one finger. He reached behind him for a moment, rummaging around for something. Amy raised an eyebrow when she saw him pull out a packet. She didn't want to know where those papers came from.

Sonic slid the papers across the table, right in front of Amy, "Here's our contract."

Amy smirked up at Sonic as she skimmed through the paragraphs upon paragraphs. "You must have a lot of time on your hands, huh?" she teased. Sonic couldn't help but smirk back.

Amy found a list of numbered "standards" to be followed that took up a majority of the contract. She flipped to the last page. "There're 64 rules?!" Amy said in disbelief.

"I like to think of them as the laws of fake dating," Sonic tapped his lower lip, trying to look as if he was thinking sophisticatedly.

"Number five," Amy began to read the contract out loud, "'Although not recommended, you may be allowed to tell whomever you wish that this relationship is a farse. I am not responsible if someone unwanted discovers of our arrangement.'"

"That's why it's good to be as convincing as possible," Sonic added. "I'm sure this Scourge guy already doubts us." Amy nodded her head. "Read 32," Sonic leaned over and flipped the next page for Amy.

The hedgehog raised an eye at him before looking down at it. "'Although we appear to be dating to the rest of the world, constant physical touching is not necessary. Hugging and hand holding can be initiated by either of us, but kissing is only done, initiated by me, when deemed ultimately needed. Otherwise, there will be no form of kissing in this false relationship.'"

"So control yourself," Sonic winked at Amy.

The girl rolled her eyes. "Trust me, I will," Amy muttered. She continued to read the contract to herself. "You know," Amy began, "I wasn't expecting an escort to be so professional."

Sonic huffed in annoyance, "Did you not just read that thing? I am not an escort." He crossed his arms in a small pout.

The waitress, a blond cat, approached their table. "You finally arrived," she exclaimed with a bright smile towards Sonic.

The blue hedgehog nodded his head, "All in one piece too."

The waitress giggled at Sonic's joke. "That's good," she said. "Is there anything I could get you?"

Sonic pondered for a second, "I like chocolate shakes." The waitress eagerly nodded before running off into the building.

"She wasn't that nice to me," Amy mumbled moreso to herself. She placed down the packet, finding that nothing radical stuck out as she skimmed all of the pages.

It was only moments later that the waitress returned with Sonic's drink. "Is there anything else I can get you?" her question was directed mostly at Sonic.

Sonic leaned forward slightly. "Yes actually," he pointed towards the pocket of her apron, "could I possible have your pen."

Without question, the server handed it to the blue hedgehog. Sonic thanked the girl, oblivious to how flustered the waitress was becoming around him. He handed the pen to Amy, indicating for her to sign. The girl did so before handing both pen and paper back to Sonic. He rolled it up and tucked it away.

"Now that that's out of the way," he took a gulp of his drink, "let's discuss a plan."

"A plan?" Amy repeated. She wasn't expecting a fake boyfriend to take his role so seriously.

Sonic nodded his head. "Well yeah," he agreed as if it was obvious, "you have to make sure that this isn't just a waste. You have to have methods of how every moment of our fake love may possibly go down."

Amy thought over it for a moment. She really didn't want Scourge to harass her even more if he were to become certain that her and Sonic weren't actually together. "I guess that makes sense," Amy hesitantly agreed.

"Where do you want to start?" Sonic asked. He leaned forward on his elbows, giving Amy his full attention.

The girl shrugged her shoulders, "I have no idea, you're the professional."

Sonic hummed to himself for a second. "Well," he dragged out slowly, "I guess it would make sense to first start at school, since that's where he sees you the most."

"We don't have any classes together," Amy pointed out.

"True," Sonic agreed, "but we can always be together during lunch and I could walk you to your own classes."

"You don't have to do that for every class," Amy felt shy towards the idea. No one had gone out of their way for her like that before, even if she was paying them. "I only run into Scourge between certain periods. Also, there's one class I have with him since he failed it last year. Even though we sit on opposite sides of the room, he still bothers me right before and after that period."

"I'll be sure to walk you to and from there then," Sonic began to think he sounded more like a bodyguard. He figured that was somewhat a role of the boyfriend, to protect his girl from bad people. Not that Amy was exactly his girl.

Amy's cheeks heated slightly, "Okay."

Sonic nodded his head. "What about outside of school?"

Amy thought for a moment. "It's kind of random. I wasn't expecting on seeing him yesterday but I still did."

"If he ever runs into you, you can just call me."

Amy's eyes widened slightly, "Really?"

"Why not?" Sonic shrugged, not sure as to what the problem could be.

"It's just," Amy casted a look towards the street, "I don't see how that could help. What if you're busy, or really far away? You can't just get there in a second."

"You underestimate me, babe," Sonic pointed at Amy with a grin.

Amy then felt her entire face heat up at the casual use of the nickname. She was pretty sure that it was obvious to Sonic, but he didn't comment on it. If anything, it only made his grin widen.

"Don't call me 'babe'," Amy stuttered.

"Okay, honey," Sonic further pressed, wanting to push her buttons.

Amy narrowed her eyes at him. Her cheeks were still flushed from the tone in his voice. Amy couldn't help it. She felt foolish for getting so flustered over it. Sonic must've used the same names for hundreds of girls.

Sonic half rolled his eyes at her childish behavior. "Don't make such a big deal out of little things like that. It's normal coupley stuff, ya know?"

"No, actually," Amy sighed. She looked down at her drink, pretending to be more interested in that than their conversation.

Sonic tilted his head, "Huh?"

"No," Amy repeated louder. "I don't know. I've never been in a relationship before."

Sonic mouth opened slightly, as if he silently said oh. He nodded his head looking off into the distance, lost in his own thought. Not that he didn't peg Amy as the more innocent type, but he would almost be sure that some guy, discluding the perverted green hedgehog, would be head over heels for Amy. She had those green eyes that Sonic still wasn't over. They seemed to knock his out of the park if there was some sort of green eyed competition.

"Well," Sonic finally turned to Amy, with a genuine smile, "I guess you now can practice."

Before Amy could question him, the waitress returned, interrupting their conversation. "Is there anything else I could get you?" she politely asked the two, even though her eyes were more focused on Sonic.

"Yes, actually," Sonic cooly responded. Amy made a quiet noise of surprise when he reached across the table, taking her hand from the glass and into his own. Even though the two were wearing gloves, Amy could still feel the warmth of him through the fabrics.

Sonic casted a glance at Amy before looking back towards the cat. "My girlfriend, here," he gestured towards the pink hedgehog across from him, "is mad at me because I'm late for our date. What do you have that really says 'I'm sorry'?"

The waitress casted a sideways look at Amy. Amy could only look away from what she figured was a judgemental stare. "Well," the worked spoke with less enthusiasm, "our cheesecake is really to die for."

Amy became hyper aware of the way Sonic began to brush his thumb over the back of her hand. She found it oddly comforting.

"That would be amazing," Sonic enthused, "thank you." The waitress nodded before turning away.

Amy pulled her hand away as soon as the waitress left.

"See how easy that was?" Sonic smiled at her. He, for some unknown reason, was fond at the way Amy grew shy around their contact.

"Cheesecake is my favorite," she blurted.

Sonic chuckled, "See? I know how to be a good boyfriend." Amy laughed for the first time since Sonic arrived. She was beginning to ease with him around. "When the waiter comes back don't look so weirded out," Sonic advised Amy.

She nodded her head. The second the blond came back into view, Amy reached for Sonics hand. The boy happily grasped hers in return.

"Here ya go," the cat happily placed the cake down on the table. "Do you guys need anything else?" Both of the hedgehogs shook their heads. Before she turned away from the table, the waitress leaned towards Amy. "Don't be so hard on your boyfriend over there," she whispered. "Boys can be annoying but they're worth it."

Amy glanced over at Sonic, who had also heard the waitress anyways. Amy gave him what she would figure to be a loving smile. Without taking her eyes from him, she took a leap and responded, "He sure is." Sonic returned the smile, causing Amy's stomach to twist.

Once the waitress left the two alone, Amy, more slowly this time, pulled her hand away from Sonic's. She instantly felt the cold air replace his presence.

"Good?" she wondered after a moment of silently gazing at him.

Sonic gave her a thumbs up, "Good."

….

The two headed off from the cafe after Sonic offered to walk Amy home. The pink hedgehog accepted it graciously.

"So," Sonic restarted the conversation after the two drifted into a long silence, "tell me about yourself."

Amy grinned, "This is really starting to feel like a first date huh?"

Sonic's cheeks went into a deep blush. "No!" he stuttered out right away. "I just need to be prepared for anything that scourge may ask you."

"I'm only joking," Amy laughed. "What do you want to know?"

Sonic brought a knuckle to his chin. He hummed quietly to himself before responding, "What's your name?"

The girl gave him a confused look. "Amy?" she tilted her head slightly. "But you know that already."

"Not your last name," Sonic pointed out.

"Rose," she said more confidently. Amy realized that she didn't know of Sonic's either. "What about yours?" she returned the question.

Sonic scratched the back of his head. "I don't have one," he commented with a small chuckled.

Amy stopped in her tracks. "Who doesn't have a last name?"

Sonic pointed at himself, "I just use 'Hedgehog' for official paper issues, but that's not a big deal." Sonic started walking ahead, leaving Amy to jog a few steps to catch back up with him. "Back onto you," Sonic continued. "What's something cool about you?"

"There's not really anything interesting about myself for you to know."

Sonic frowned at her statement. "That can't be true," he said in disbelief. "There must be one thing about you that I must know."

"I'm pink," Amy suggested with a sly smile.

Sonic rolled his eyes. "No kidding," he sarcastically murmured.

Amy chewed on the inside of her cheek. She suddenly felt self conscious that there wasn't a single thing about herself that she could think of. As far as Amy was concerned, she was the most average hedgehog on the planet, but Sonic would never accept that answer.

"What do you like to do for fun?" Sonic pushed Amy further to answer him.

Amy shrugged her shoulders. "Normal stuff," she commented. "Although, I am trained in martial arts so I guess you could consider that something fun I like to do."

Sonic gave her an impressed look, "So you can kick butt, yet you let that pervert Scourge push you around?"

"I don't know," Amy trailed off. Not once had it crossed her mind to use violence on the green hedgehog. Amy wasn't sure if she could even hurt him. She feared what would happen if Scourge just got angrier at her.

Sonic casted her a long glace. She wasn't returning the look. Instead, she kept her head face forward on the sidewalk. He couldn't help but wonder what she was thinking. He didn't ask. Sonic knew that Amy wouldn't tell him.

Now, the sun was beginning to set. Amy couldn't help but mindlessly stare at the burning sky. She felt Sonic's eyes glued onto her, but didn't want to bother tearing her eyes away from the sky. The sun left a golden ring on the edge of the line of trees. She felt as if she could've stared at the scenery forever.

"I was wondering," Sonic broke Amy's gaze from the sky, "how did you and Tails meet? I mean I've never seen you before."

"Do you keep tabs on who Tails speaks to?" Amy wondered with an arch smile.

Sonic only grinned in return, "Of course. I am his personal bodyguard."

"He tutored me last year," Amy said more seriously. "Then, we started sitting on the bus with each other. That's about it. We've sat at lunch with each other a couple times too but I've never hung out with him much outside of school."

"Tails is my best friend," Sonic suddenly added. "I've known him from the longest time." Sonic, although he was widely liked, didn't have many friends beyond Tails. When Sonic thought about it, the fox was the only person to remain at his side throughout all the years.

Amy smiled at Sonic. She found the way he spoke about Tails to be endearing. "That's sweet," she cooed.

Sonic cheeks slowly grew into a red shade. He gave Amy a small glare out of embarrassment. "No it's not," he pouted.

Amy laughed, only making him feel more embarrassed. "What?" she said with a giggle. "Did I hurt your masculinity?" Amy teased.

Sonic crossed his arms, "Pfft, as if."

Amy continued to laugh for a few moments. Her moment was cut off when Amy suddenly stumbled over the edge of the cement. She was almost certain that she was going to trip to her death. Amy held her arms out to brace herself as a reflex. With her eyes squeezed shut, she prepared herself for the hard impact.

The pink hedgehog peeked an eye opened after a moment. She found herself staring directly down at the sidewalk. Both her eyes widened at the sudden realization that someone had caught her with their arm around her midriff.

"You should be more careful," she heard Sonic's voice from over her shoulder.

Amy had the same nagging feeling again. She had felt this before. She knew she had. Amy recalled wondering if she had seen Sonic before when he defended her at the restaurant. Now, the feeling of deja vu was too strong to ignore.

Sonic helped straighten the girl up. He was oblivious to her wide eyes focused solely on him. Amy's lips were parted slightly, as if she was being held on the verge of speaking. Although Amy's mind did touch on the question as to how Sonic had reacted so quickly, she was still too focused on the gnawing feeling that this had happened before.

"I thought a ninja like you wouldn't trip over her own two feet," Sonic teased. His hand didn't move from the small of her back as she turned to face him. Amy didn't say anything. Sonic began to feel uncomfortable when he noticed how hard she was concentrating on his face. "What?" he dumbfoundedly wondered.

Amy took a step back. "Are you sure we've never met before?" she tentatively asked. Amy chewed on her cheek as Sonic slowly shook his head. "It's just that I keep feeling like I've seen you before," Amy quickly added. The pink hedgehog suddenly felt embarrassed when she realized Sonic wasn't feeling the same way. "Nevermind," she managed to utter as she continued walking along the road.

Sonic stood in his place, dumbfounded as to what had happened. He shrugged it off before falling back into step beside her.

The rest of their walk was short lived. Neither of them spoke, Amy didn't know what to say and Sonic was not in the mood to further push a conversation. Usually he hated silence, but his mind was too occupied by the surroundings of the night.

Amy finally stopped in front of a small house. It was nice, simple white building. The orange glow from the street light gave Sonic just enough of a view to detail out a small garden that appeared to being on the verge of dying in the upcoming fall weather. Sonic, for no particular reason, played with the slightly rusted mailboxes.

"Well this is my stop," Amy spun towards Sonic. "I guess bye," she awkwardly included.

Sonic pointed in her general direction, "I'll see you tomorrow."

Amy, caught off guard, parted her lips slightly, trying to think of words to say. "Oh- uh- yeah," she hastily said. Amy wasn't sure what would happen, or how it was going to work out. She had to mentally remind herself to just act natural and it would all be fine.

"Is 7:20 alright?" Sonic suggested, even though he knew he would be regretting it in the morning.

Amy nodded her head, "My bus arrives usually at 7:15 so that should be fine."

Sonic nodded his head in return. The two just stared at one another, neither knowing exactly how to part. "Right," Sonic broke their stare. He casted one final glance at the house, "See you tomorrow then."

Amy said a final goodbye before staring down at the ground as she walked up to her front door. She shivered as a sudden gust of wind blew by. Amy rushed to pull out her keys and unlock her front door in an attempt to escape the cold. She casted one final look over her shoulder before stepping inside. Amy didn't think much of the fact that in mere seconds Sonic had managed to completely disappear.

….

Tails grinned at his best friend, who stood there tapping his foot impatiently. "Waiting for a certain someone?" he coyly asked. The two tailed fox was fully aware of how impatient his friend was.

Sonic grinned, "Maybe I am. Official work business, ya know?" Tails gave a hum of doubt. Sonic casted him a sideways look but decided not to say anything.

It was early in the morning enough that barely anyone had arrived at school yet. Only a few groups of friends huddled around their own lockers.

Sonic couldn't help but eavesdrop every now and then. The only things that most of the girls bothered to talk about was the first dance of the school year, even though it was still months away. He never understood the hype of that particular school event. Girls would buy their dresses way in advance. They'd spend dollars and hours of their time getting ready for just one night. Sonic had never gone to a dance before. He didn't participate much in any extracurriculars provided by the school. He wasn't even sure if he had even ever gone to a football game.

Sonic leaned his back against the lockers. He felt exhausted from the night before after not getting home until early in the morning. If Amy wasn't going to be paying him, he would've skipped school.

Sonic brought his hand up to his cheek. He rested his head while closing his eyes, pretending that he was back in his bed, fast asleep. His mind began to swarm images into his head. He thought of all the curves of the fields at night to running along the ceiling of the school. Sonic had the problem of daydreaming a lot.

"Hey, Sonic," a sweet voice snapped him back into reality.

He jumped slightly, immediately opening his eyes, looking in the direction of the voice. There Amy stood, with more life than most teenagers had in the morning. Her quills freely hung down to her shoulders. She had on another pink dress, very similar to the ones she had been wearing the past couple times Sonic had seen her, although each of them were equally as stunning. Sonic didn't usually care much for what a girl wore, but something about Amy in a dress was different from just anyone in a dress. He sensed that she didn't know that the dress was stunning on her, but that just added to the appeal.

Sonic stopped his thoughts from venturing further. He casted a look at Tails, who chuckled when Sonic reacted to the sudden presence of Amy. "Hey, Amy," Sonic replied in a tired voice.

"You aren't a morning person, are you?" Amy giggled. Sonic shook his head. "Well you're the one who said to meet this early, so you brought this upon yourself."

Tails checked his phone. There was still half an hour til class started. He was used to arriving this early to school, an early start on the day always helped him get more organized. The fox was fully aware that to Sonic though, this was torture.

Tails didn't understand himself why Sonic had told Amy to meet this early. Sonic had never taken a contract _this_ serious before. He would never wake up early is he had the option to sleep in for a few more minutes.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Sonic half grumbled. He pushed himself off from leaning against the lockers. "What's your first class?"

"History," Amy twisted her face. Sonic chuckled, he could tell she didn't like that class. "And then second period I have to see you know who."

Sonic nodded his head, "Rodger." He held out his elbow towards Amy. "Shall we?" he gave his best impression of gentlemanly manner. With a shy smile, Amy adjusted her notebooks into one arm and linked her free one with Sonic's. Tails lingered for a moment behind the two, pretending to throw up. Sonic casted a glare over his shoulder.

"So," the fox moved his way to walk in front of the two, "this is a thing." He turned to walk backwards to make sure both hedgehogs could see his sly smile.

"Oh yes," Sonic grinned, "for the low price of 60 rings, this could all be yours." Sonic waggled his eyes at Tails, who snorted in response.

"40," Amy corrected, "I got the friend by association discount."

"Sonic, I think I should get a bigger discount than that," Tails quipped. He felt a bump on his shoulder. A cheetah glared at him after he had bumped into her back. Tails cowered slightly with his hands up in a surrender. The girl towered over him, making her appeal more intimidating to Tails. With a final glare, she turned on her heels and continued to go through her locker.

Sonic deadpanned at his friend's antics. "For you," he pointed at Tails, "I would say double the price."

The fox feigned being hurt. "You aren't as expensive as you think hedgehog," he complained.

Sonic rolled his eyes. "This is a two person relationship," Sonic shooed him away, "you butt out."

With a grin, Tails ducked away into a classroom. Amy peered into the room as her and Sonic continued to walk along. She saw several test tubes set up with clear liquids filling them. Tails waved to a group of other mammals, similar in size to him.

"My brother is a nerd," Sonic cried as if all hope was lost.

Amy pulled her arm away from him, instead holding her books to her chest. "'Brother'?" she questioned.

"Well, not actually, of course," Sonic clarified. "Like a brother. Best friends since diapers. The piña to my colada."

"Do you have any other friends?" Amy mused.

Sonic gave her an offended look. "Why yes I do!" he defended himself. "I have a buttload of friends for your information." Sonic thought for a moment. "I mean I may not ever talk to them or anything but they exist," he added as an afterthought.

"Well you have me," Amy smiled at him. Sonic felt strange from the way she looked up at him with such an innocent look. Amy herself had not known where her words had came from, but they were true.

Sonic looked away from her. He brought his finger up to his nose, gingerly rubbing it with the back of his hand. "Yeah, I guess so," he absentmindedly said.

Amy stopped in front of a door. Sonic peered into the classroom, recognizing it as the same one he spends fourth period in. "This is my stop," Amy glanced into the room, only noticing a couple of students in there.

"I'll be walking you to your next class then," Sonic smiled down at her.

Amy didn't meet his gaze. She couldn't understand why but she felt somewhat embarrassed. "You really don't have to."

"I insist."

Amy chewed on the inside of her cheek. "Sonic," she started with his name, "how far away is your classroom? I'm just asking cause there's only like four minutes between classes and I feel like you couldn't have the time to go to your own locker and walk me to my class before going to your own."

Sonic held his hand to his chest. "Oh Amy," he pretended to be wounded, "how dare you doubt me."

The girl grinned at him. With a nod of her head she turned away and went towards her own desk. Sonic watched her for a second from the doorway. She neatly laid out her notebooks on top of one another and kept her pencils lined up side by side.

"Perfectionist," Sonic muttered to himself before walking away.

He shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. With his head down, Sonic took his time strolling through the hallways. It was a little over 5 minutes until class started. By now, teenagers overcrowded the halls, trying to get in their social time before having to sit behind a desk. Sonic scrunched his nose when he passed a pair of students fiercely making out.

He was never sure how to feel about teenagers, being one himself as well. He found life to be such a bore. They got all excited over being able to drive a car or the latest dance and he had never seen the interest in it. Even as a kid, Sonic had never found interest in playing with childrens toys. As carefree as he was, he struggled with being truly satisfied in his life.

Sonic, being in deep thought, wasn't paying enough attention to avoid bumping shoulders. He grabbed his arm as he felt the rough shove push him to the side a couple of steps. The force of it had almost seemed to feel intentional.

Sonic glanced behind him to see who it was. Through the crowded hallway no one had seemed to be paying any attention to him.

Sonic barely caught a glimpse of green quills being buried behind the mass of people. He couldn't help but wonder what exactly he was getting himself into.

….

The first bell had finally rang after the first class. Every student ignored the teacher's attempt to claim that the bell didn't dismiss them, they did. Amy shuffled all of her papers into one neat pile.

"Hey, Amy," Rouge lightly nudged the pink hedgehog. She tilted her head towards the bat, wondering what the girl was still doing in the room, since she usually took off the second she could. "I don't know if it's just me," Rouge grinned, "but that _hot_ senior is look right at you."

Amy glanced up to see what Rouge could possibly be talking about. She was surprised to see Sonic already peeking into the classroom.

Amy noted that while no one cared about his presence, a couple of the more boy crazy girls were by now staring at him. The second his eyes locked on hers, Sonic gave a lazy smile. Amy felt a rush of warmth spread through her face.

"Do you know him?" Amy wondered since Rouge had noted he was a senior.

"I know of him," Rouge's meddling grin had not faltered from her face. "He's a friend of Knuckles so I've seen him around."

Amy didn't respond as the two continued to grow closer and closer to Sonic. Rouge winked at the girl before disappearing into the hallway. Sonic remained oblivious to the bat's promiscuous nature.

"Who was that?" Sonic looked over the retreating figure.

"Rouge. She was at the restaurant with me the other day," Amy explained. Sonic only nodded his head in response. "How did you get to my class so fast?" Amy wondered out loud.

Sonic had not answered her right away. His eyes focused for a brief moment, as if he was trying to think real hard. "I just left class a little early, saying that I had to meet with a teacher or something," Sonic didn't meet her eyes after he had spoken.

Amy was suspicious of his behavior but did not press the subject any further, she saw no point to.

The peace of their short walk of pointless small talk didn't last for long.

Amy felt her stomach drop when she spotted Scourge walking from the other direction. His eyes rested on Amy, intentionally ignoring Sonic beside her. Amy shivered slightly when his vision roamed over her, pausing briefly on her midriff.

Sonic was completely aware of the hedgehog's perverted behavior. Amy wasn't the first client Sonic had worked with to ward off creepers. Usually he would maintain his cool demeanor, but something about Scourge put him on edge. Sonic didn't like the way Scourge seemed to treat her like an object. The blue hedgehog almost sneered at the green one, but he used his strength to hold together his composure.

Sonic played the part of a protective boyfriend and grabbed Amy's hand. He kept his eyes on Scourge, not noticing the girl's cheeks flare up.

Scourge chuckled to himself when he saw the couple suddenly walk hand in hand. "Well, well, well," he greeted the other two hedgehogs at the door, "my dear flower and her boyfriend."

Amy puffed out her cheeks, "I'm not your anything."

Scourge smiled at the two. Sonic knew he was trying to get under their skin, especially Amy's. The best thing he could do was show that he wasn't bothered.

Sonic gave Scourge a lopsided smile, "If anything, I'd say she's mine, not that Amy belongs to anyone but herself."

The green hedgehog, although he was still smiling, narrowed his eyes at Sonic. "I find it funny how I've never seen you before, now, all of a sudden, you're walking Amy to class and being all possessive," Scourge skeptically mentioned.

Amy and Sonic exchanged a glance between the two. Sonic figured he would be doing most of the talking for now. He gave Amy's trembling hand a light squeeze.

"I find it funny how I have to babysit my girlfriend because some pervert won't take the hint and leave her alone," Sonic confidently replied.

Scourge glared at the two. "Watch who you speak to, hedgehog," Scourge warned before filing into the room along with the flow of other teenagers.

The second Scourge was gone, Sonic released Amy's hand. She felt the coldness of the building the instant he had let go. Sonic gave her a concerned look. He wasn't too affected by the short encounter, but Amy on the other hand appeared to be shaken to the bone.

"Amy?" Sonic got her attention. She snapped her head up from the ground. "You okay?" he pressed when she hadn't spoke.

Amy nodded her head slowly. "Yes," she sounded unsure of herself, "this whole thing is just a little weird." Amy was beginning to have second thoughts. She felt bad for dragging Sonic into her mess, even though she was going to be paying him. Unlike Amy, Sonic was unaware of how rash Scourge could get. Amy knew that if Sonic ticked Scourge off too much, something bad could possibly happen. It had been awhile since Amy had last seen Scourge violent and she had never wanted to see it again.

Sonic placed his hands on the girl's shoulders. Amy had became hyper aware of how touchy Sonic was becoming, she had to remind herself that he was playing a role, that he was just being friendly. There was no true meaning behind the touching.

"Amy," Sonic gave her a friendly smile, "stop your worrying. I know what I'm doing." The two gazed at one another for a moment. Amy cracked a small smile at him. "I'll be right here when your class ends."

Amy knew her blush had not gone away from before. Although it had started to fade, it now resurfaced at full force. She silently prayed that it wasn't too obvious to Sonic, if it was he wasn't mentioning it.

"Thank you," her voice was quiet and shy. Amy quickly turned into the classroom. She ducked her head away from Sonic, not being able to look him in the eyes anymore.

Sonic noted how Amy cautiously sat on the opposite side of the room, furthest away from Scourge. When his eyes passed over the more hostile boy, he almost jumped at the obvious glare directed towards him. Sonic gave a weak wave before disappearing towards his study hall.

….

Sonic entered the library. Only a few other students who had a free period during this time were there. Unlike them, Sonic didn't come to read or study. He went to the back corner, behind all of the shelves, where a few bean bags laid in the corner. Since not many students used the library in the first place, rarely had anyone else came to use his spot. It was the perfect place to squeeze in a quick nap.

Before Sonic was able to make his way towards the comfortable seating, he heard a loud whisper calling his name. Sonic spun his head to find a firetruck red echidna raising a big hand towards him. The blue hedgehog gave a small wave while heading towards the table.

"Hey Knuckles," Sonic said in a low tone. The blue hedgehog then noticed a girl sitting across from his friend. He recognized her as the white bat he had seen earlier, Rouge. She was wearing a shirt that must've plunged way below dress code would ever allow.

"I'm Rouge," the bat said with a flirtatious smile.

Sonic awkwardly smiled at her while simultaneously noticing the way Knuckles crossed his arms in frustration. It was rare that he would see Knuckles with a girl, since he had so often claimed that girls always "pissed him off" of the he was "too busy."

"Sonic," the hedgehog said with a slight nod of the head.

"Rouge here," Knuckles motioned to the girl, "had mentioned that she saw you getting really close to another girl earlier." The echidna smirked as if he was about to irk Sonic.

Sonic didn't hate Knuckles by any means. He wasn't a bad guy, in fact he was a lot better than most of the other boys in the school. Although Knuckles did have major anger issues, it was easy to mess with him but he couldn't take a joke. Sonic did mess with him a lot.

As much fun as it was to Sonic, Knuckles would in return try to do the same to him. Sonic didn't see the humor in it then. Knuckles was one of the few decent athletes on the school's football and basketball team. He also made is obvious by constantly walking around in basketball shorts while wearing a football t-shirts. Sonic wondered if there was a bigger show off than so. Being an athlete, Knuckles would always "playfully" punch Sonic's shoulder, leaving many bruises.

"What about it?" Sonic tried to sound as uninterested as possible, he wanted to leave the conversation as soon as possible.

"Are you guys dating?" Rouge questioned. She leaned closer to him. Sonic began to sweat nervously when he noticed that her chest seemed to almost be spilling over the table.

"Maybe, maybe not," Sonic managed with a gulp. His kept telling himself to not glance downwards under any circumstances. Sonic wasn't interested in seeing the extra fur, but he felt if his eyes betrayed him he would get a nice smack in the face.

Rouge narrowed her eyes at him, "Oh really?" She gave him a challenging look, "You shouldn't be messing with that girl's feelings, you know she gets enough of that crap from Scourge." Rouge said it not to remind Sonic, but as if Sonic was just now hearing this about the green hedgehog.

"Don't worry," his grin faded, "I wouldn't dream of it."

The trio heard the librarian shush them. None had become aware that their voices grew to above a whisper. Sonic held his index finger up to his lips, mock shushing the other two teens. With a wink and a small wave, he ducked away from the couple, only desiring a nap.

….

Amy tried her hardest to concentrate on the lecture, but all she could feel was a pair of eyes bore into the side of her head. Usually, Scourge would let her be during class, today was different. Amy figured that since Sonic was in the picture, Scourge was a little pissed off.

She turned her head to see him hungrily looking at her. She shuddered when he slowly moved his tongue across his upper lip. She narrowed her eyes at him, causing him to silently chuckle to himself.

Amy pointedly turned her head down towards her textbook. She had wished she had at least one friend in this class. Amy wondered if Sonic would be back to her class the second it ended again.

A small tap on her shoulder caused Amy to turn her head. The leopard that sat next to her held out a small piece of folded up notebook paper. He nodded his head towards Scourge.

Amy took the slip of paper, not wanting to open the note. She scrunched her nose as she struggled to read the jagged handwriting.

 _You look so soft today. I want to touch and feel you._

Amy mustered up all her strength to not hurl at that exact moment. She ripped the message in half before crinkling it up into a mess. Amy let out a frustrated sigh before glaring in Scourges direction, who gave her an innocent look of confusion.

Amy began to chew on the inside of her cheek. She began to feel her anxiety swell up inside of her. She couldn't help her knee reflexively bouncing at a rapid pace. Amy tapped her pencil as she rested her eyes on the clock, counting down the remaining minutes of class.

She wasn't even halfway through the day and all Amy wanted to do was go home. Amy was a good student, she followed all of the rules, but in this moment she wondered if she could get away with ditching. Many other students skipped classes and never got caught. Amy questioned if the school system even cared about their attendance. She also figured, knowing her luck, she would the first person to be figured out for slacking off.

Her neighbor placed another note on her desk. Amy rolled her eyes when she knew immediately that it was from a certain annoying green hedgehog. She had to mentally prepare herself to unfold the paper.

 _There will be a time where your little boyfriend won't be there to protect you._

Amy feared that it was true. Granted, she had just met Sonic and was completely unaware of how reliable he truly was. So far, Sonic had somewhat impressed her by proving to be the overprotective boyfriend he was pretending to be. She couldn't help but fear that there will be a time when Sonic couldn't save her, not that she really thought of him as her savior in the first place.

Amy couldn't think of Scourge crossing the line now. Sure, he was a pervert and sexually harassed her for fun out of his sick humor, but would her really do something that could get him sent to jail.

Amy broke her train of thought. She didn't want to press the idea any further. Amy's day was already beginning to ruin, and she didn't want to make it any worse herself.

The second the bell rang she bursted up from her desk. Amy had almost tripped over a chair as she rushed to leave the room. Some students casted crooked looks from her unusual behavior.

Amy was the first to step out of the room. After a sharp turn she bumped into another warm body. Blinking rapidly, Amy looked up to find, to her utter relief, that it was the one and only Sonic. She couldn't push down the thoughts of Scourge's notes.

Amy looked him over. His large quills appeared to be slightly more ruffled than before. Sonic's white t-shirt had wrinkled from it previous neatness. She wondered what he had to make it look like he had just rolled out of bed.

Amy faked a smile up at Sonic. He raised an eyebrow at her, clearly seeing the distraught feelings in her eyes.

Sonic frowned down at her, "What's wrong?"

Amy waved him off as she began walking in the direction of her locker. "Nothing," she said in a high pitched voice, giving away that she had just told a lie.

"And I'm red," Sonic sarcastically commented. Amy rolled her eyes. "Really," Sonic said in a more serious tone, "what happened?"

Amy didn't look at Sonic as she handed him the paper she was clutching in her hand. Sonic gently undone the balled up mess. He first held the two halves of the first message together. His face twisted in disgust as he registered what was written. Although Sonic had heard boys say worse things before, something about Amy being spoken to in such a manner made his blood boil.

When he finished scanning the other note, Sonic looked over at Amy. He couldn't help but feel concerned for the girl. There was a nagging feeling that Scourge was going to be harder to ward off of Amy than anyone else he had dealt with in the past.

Sonic decided to change up him composure. He realized that Amy needed him for a reason, he had to be the strong front for the both of them. With a mischievous grin he grabbed Amy's wrist, pulling her to face him.

Sonic held up the notes before dropping them in a nearby trash. "Don't worry, Amy," he gave her a determined smile that made her stomach flop, "Scourge is not gonna get away with this."

* * *

 **Thank you so much to everyone who had reviewed! It means a lot to me. I hope you guys enjoyed chapter 2! Although it wasn't crazy eventful, I wanted to set up the relationship of the story.**


	3. Chapter 3

**I don't know if I mentioned this before but with Amy's character I'm going more towards the one of Amy from Sonic Boom. I just feel like there's more to create with this version of her persona. So although she may be out of character for the older game version, I hope she is closer to the updated version of her character.**

 **Also I would like to apologize for a delay in the updating. I had finals and was just too stressed out to write, but it's all good now and hopefully I'll get another chapter out by January. This chapter is also a bit shorter but it was a good spot to end otherwise it would've been insanely long and I like to have some type of consistency.**

 **And again, I cannot stress this enough, but thank you so much for the support so far. I'm really touched that you guys seem to be pleased with the story so far. I'm having a fun time writing it so I hope you guys enjoy it too. Feel free to leave a comment! Happy readings!**

* * *

"So you two are a couple now?" Cream raised an eyebrow at the pair of hedgehogs that stood side by side.

Amy brought a hand to her temple. She had tried explaining it over and over again to Cream, but the rabbit just didn't seem to catch on. "I really don't know how to explain it any simpler," Amy shook her head to herself. "Sonic and I are _pretending_. I agreed to pay him as long as he's my boyfriend until Scourge backs off."

Sonic grinned at the small rabbit. "Gotta make rent some way," he quipped.

Cream's face turned into a sudden expression of understanding. "I get it now," she said with slight amazement, "you're an escort."

Sonic's amused smile faded. "I'm not an escort," he grumbled. Tails, who had been standing at his right side, snickered, earning him a small punch on the arm.

Amy shushed the two boys when she suddenly turned to peak around the corner.

The four had been huddled outside of the school building. They were hidden off to the side near the dumpsters. It was mostly empty save for a couple cars in the part of the parking lot.

Amy landed her eyes on Scourge, who sat on the hood of a random car smoking. Amy knew that during the lunch period, all of the students who felt the need to would go to the discreet parking lot for a cigarette. She found it easily predictable that Scourge would be one of them.

Sonic, being taller, leaned around Amy, his head hovered right above hers. Sonic had never likes the smell of smoke. Even though Scourge was too far away for the scent to drift to him, Sonic couldn't help but scrunch up his nose.

Sonic held his hand out behind him. "Stone," he determinedly mumbled. On the command, Tails placed a medium sized pebble in his palm. Sonic lightly tossed the rock in his hand, getting a feel of its weight. With a final grin, he expertly threw the rock halfway across the parking lot.

Scourge, although rather devious, was not the smartest hedgehog on the planet, and his grades could testify to that. Sonic had recognized the old, beat up car as, not the one of a student, but the car of the football coach. He was a mean, old walrus who also happened to enjoy yelling for a living. Coach Wally was also known for his short temper.

The stone ticked off the taillight of the vehicle. Although it was only a small bump, it was enough to erupt the car into a roaring cry. It echoed throughout the lot, loud enough for anyone the next planet over to hear.

In the same instant, Scourge leaped at the sudden sound. As he whipped his head around, the cigarette fell from his two fingers. Curses emitted from his mouth. Cream had to cover her ears to prevent them from being soiled.

"Hey you!" a gruff voice came from the other direction around the corner.

Amy peaked a little further to get a sight of the source.

Coach Wally had already been outside during his lunch period to help some other students train. From the football field, the edge of his car was barely visible. The walrus could easily detect the unusually high pitched horn to be from his very own mode of transportation.

The four ducked back once he had gotten closer to Scourge, who tried to limp away but proved to be too green hedgehog flicked his cigarette off to the grass before the Walrus was in arm's reach. He bit back a wince as he dusted off his leg from the burning ash that easily seeped through his jeans.

"Coach," Scourge gave a smug grin.

Coach Wally wasn't buying into the phony respect. "And what in tarnation do you think you're doing on my car?" he half barked into the teen's face.

Amy couldn't help but grin. Scourge no longer looked all tough compared to the large man. The coach was at least two heads taller. He had to lean over ever so slightly to be able to look down into the hedgehog's eyes.

"How can a man be so scary?" Cream mumbled as she cowered behind Tails.

Sonic chuckled to himself at her reaction. Deep down inside, he had already known not to mess with Coach Wally out of some fear. He could remember how the coach kept pressuring him to join the football or basketball team sophomore year. Even though Sonic declined on good terms, he still dreaded the thought of being on the receiving end of all that yelling that the other athletes got an earful of.

As the coach continued to yell, Scourge's calmness began to fade away. He kept an uneasy smile on when the coach mentioned the use of drugs on school property and possible consequences.

The four started to back up when they felt as if they had seen enough. Amy didn't want Scourge to catch them spying on him, that wouldn't end as a good day for her.

"Satisfying, huh?" Sonic grinned down at Amy.

Amy shrugged, "It'll do for now." She returned a smil.

"Maybe Scourge isn't such a tough guy," Tails snickered as they walked back into the building.

Amy trailed behind to walk along with Cream. Sonic and Tails chatted on their own. Their voices were noticeably more energetic, although Amy couldn't distinguish what exactly they were saying.

"Are you still coming over for my get together?" Cream looked up at Amy with hopeful eyes. She pouted her lips slightly, making an expression that no one could turn down.

Amy rolled her eyes. The face never worked on her. "You already know I am," the pink hedgehog said with a smile.

Cream clasped her hands together in excitement. "That's great!" she exclaimed. The bunny's eyes then darted between the boys and Amy. A sly grin crossed her face, "You can invite your boyfriend too."

Amy felt the familiarity of her face heating up. "He's not my actual boyfriend," Amy replied in a lower voice. Both girls knew that Cream had understood the situation by now. Amy figured that Cream would try to tease her for it.

"And what about Tails?" Amy retorted. She couldn't help but smirk when Cream suddenly became shy. She always had when the two-tailed fox was mentioned. It was obvious to anyone who knew Cream that she had somewhat of a crush on the boy. Amy found it ironic that she was, in a way, dating a stranger while Cream has been just friends with her crush for the longest time.

Cream recomposed herself, "Yeah, I invited him too. We're friends."

Amy hummed in doubt, but didn't bother to say anything. She returned her gaze back to the boys. She halted in her step when she realized that she was about to bump into Sonic. Both of them had suddenly stopped in their tracks. Sonic was looking down at a small screen on his wristwatch. Amy tried to peer over his shoulder to read it, but it was almost as if Sonic purposely tilted it so no one else could see.

"Sorry," Sonic quickly spun his head, causing Amy to flinch. "I have to go," he stammered.

Before anyone could question him, Sonic took off at a remarkable quick speed down the hallway. Amy wondered if he had ever been on the track team.

Tails was the only one left behind that didn't seem confused.

"What was that about?" Amy wondered out loud.

"Oh nothing," Tails laughed slightly, while bringing up his hand to scratch the back of his head.

Amy narrowed her eyes at him. Why was he so nervous? "If you say so," she was completely unconvinced.

….

At the end of the day, Amy stood by the doors, waiting for Tails. It wasn't long until his little, fuzzy head poked out in the crowd.

She grinned in determination, narrowing her eyes slightly. As the day went on, Amy couldn't help but have a suspicious feeling growing inside of her. Ever since lunchtime, she felt as if something was off. Unable to understand her own emotions, she believed that Tails could kindly shed some light onto the situation.

"Hey Tails, buddy ol' pal," she greeted in a sickly sweet voice.

The fox immediately caught onto something being off. "Oh no," he said with slight dread. "What is it? What do you want?"

Amy feigned being hurt. She brought her hand to her heart, "Would you expect me to be any other thing than friendly?"

"Anything crazy."

Her smile only widened. "You know me well," she said with a smile. "I actually do have somewhat of a… discussion I would like to, ya know, discuss."

Tails paused at the side of the lawn, letting the flow of students pass by. He was now showing interest in what has been eating at Amy. "What is it?" he cocked his head to the side with one ear standing higher than the other.

Amy took a straightforward approach, "It's about Sonic."

With a smile, the boy rolled his eyes. "You know," his look shifted to mischevious, "you and Sonic just won't stop talking about each other. Didn't you guys just meet like a couple days ago?"

Amy lightly shoved him. She was about to protest but changed her mind. "He talks about me?" she said as an afterthought. Tails could've sworn she sounded hopeful.

Before the fox could respond, the pink hedgehog continued to ramble. "Nevermind that," she waved the air away. "Something is weird about him, I don't know what it is though. I mean earlier that was strange. Maybe it was personal business but it was still kinda odd," Amy thoughtfully chewed on the inside of her cheek. "I also feel like I've met him before. It's like I'm so close to remembering something."

Tails noticeably shifted on his feet. "I don't know what to tell you," he looked off to the side while shrugging. "Sonic is a weird guy, most teenage boys are. And with seeing him before? I mean you guys do go to the same school, you've probably passed him in the halls."

Amy didn't seem satisfied with his response. "Okay," she sighed in defeat. "But if you're hiding something from me I will find out," Amy threatening added afterwards. She pointed a finger right up to Tails' nose.

The fox gulped before rapidly nodding his head. "Yes ma'am," he meekly agreed.

Amy grinned, trying to ignore the feeling that Tails was lying.

….

There is a special beauty in spending time alone. While it can drive some people mad, with the right balance it is rather peaceful. The moment Amy closed her front door, she leaned back against it with a heavy sigh. Amy hadn't realized how busy she had been the past few days. A nap seemed like the most wonderful thing she could receive.

Amy dropped her bag onto the floor. She kicked off her boots and walked over to pull the curtains closed. Usually she would enjoy the warmth of the light that flooded the room, but in this moment she wanted to give the best illusion to night as possible. The curtains were thick enough that only a single ray of light was left to cascade down the walls of the living room.

Amy fell back onto the couch, allowing her body to sink into the plush sheets. She closed her eyes, imagining that she was floating away on a cloud.

A sudden knock pulled Amy from the edge of falling into a deeper sleep. She jumped slightly at the solid raps on her front door. She inwardly groaned, mustering up the last of her strength to stand back on her feet. Amy got a glimpse at the wall clock; she hadn't even rested for five minutes.

Amy pulled the door opened, not knowing who to expect. She was taken off guard when a familiar dark hedgehog stood at her door.

It was Shadow.

Amy didn't know what to say other than a weak, "Hi." Shadow had never been to her house before. Amy realized that she didn't actually hang out with Shadow much. Even though they went to different schools, his being at home, Amy only saw him when they decided to study together.

Shadow briefly looked Amy over, noticing how her clothes were slightly ruffled. "Is this a bad time?" he wondered, although didn't care much if he was intruding.

Amy shook her head. "No, do you want to come in?" she stepped to the side, opening the door wider for him to step through. Amy expected him to take her offer, but instead Shadow remained glued in his place.

"No need," Shadow held up a hand to halt her from making any other movements, "I just came here to ask you a few things, or rather just a simple question."

Amy raised an eyebrow. She crossed her arms and leaned her weight against the frame. "What could be so important that it couldn't wait?" Amy inquired. "You could've just called me."

"Are you friends with Sonic now?" Shadow suddenly pressed, ignoring her question.

Amy's eyes widened slightly. Now she was even more confused than before. She straightened up her posture to lean in to the conversation more. "Um- yeah," Amy slowly started. "Why does it matter?"

Shadow sighed. There was a strained look on his face, "I doesn't." Shadow stuffed his hands into the pockets of his black jacket.

Amy noted something was different about his face. His eyes were more concentrated than she had ever seen them before. She could tell he was thinking about something serious. What it was was a mystery to her.

Amy opened her mouth to speak once again, but Shadow cut her off. "Look," he sternly began, "just be careful around him, okay?"

Shadow quickly spun on his heel and began to walk away. "Wait!" Amy called out, even though it was evident to her that he had no intention of halting for her. She reached behind the door for her boots. Amy looked back up when she started to pull one of the shoes on. The pink hedgehog faltered when she saw no sign of Shadow.

She turned her head to look up and down the street. Amy stood there for a second with so many questions buzzing around in her head that she started to feel a migraine.

She knew that there was something up with Sonic. The pink hedgehog had a feeling that neither of the boys would be willing to tell her.

Although she was tired, Amy decided that a nap could wait. She needed to take matters into her own hands before things could get anymore weird.

She quickly pulled out her phone and dialed up her best friend. Cream answered after the first ring with her distinguishably sweet voice.

"Cream," Amy breathed with a grin twitched at the corner of her mouth, "remember when we'd always play detectives when we were younger?"

….

Cream loved Amy, very dearly. The two had grown up to become very close to one another. She had to admire the hedgehog for being so strong headed. Since her parents were barely around, Amy was left on her own for months on end to become a very independent girl since she could heat frozen dinners in the microwave.

One problem with such a strong person is when Amy puts her mind to something, she doesn't give up, even though there are times where she really should.

Cream sometimes found Amy to be rather paranoid. After Amy had called her, the two ended up sneaking over to Tails' home.

Amy's reasoning had been that she couldn't help but feel as if Sonic was hiding something. Her first step was to find out where exactly he lived to know where to hunt him down. Tails most likely had some type of information as to where Sonic would be staying at.

To both of their luck, the house was empty when they arrived. Amy tried for the handle to find that it was locked. The back door was not any better.

Amy slowly walked around the house, looking for any openings. She called Cream over in delight when she found one of the windows to be cracked opened ever so slightly.

"You can fly," Amy motioned to the second floor window, "why don't you go in and unlock a door from the inside for me?"

Cream didn't feel good about this. Even though Tails was a dear friend, she felt as if they weren't welcomed to invade his property when he wasn't home. Before the rabbit could protest, she was met with a rather stern look from Amy. She whimpered before taking off into the air, flapping her ears.

Cream, having been in the house before, easily made her way to the back door where she let Amy in.

The pink hedgehog briefly took in the interior of the building. She found the house to look typical for a technology geek to live in. Random nicknacks, paper, and tools piled along the walls and on the counter tops. Amy was expecting Tails to appear a little more organized.

The two girls had split up to look around. Cream wasn't exactly sure what she was supposed to find. She was hoping that an address book would just be lying outside for her to find, but there was no such luck.

The rabbit opened a door that had led to the garage. The room was noticeably cleaner than the rest of the house.

A large cover was partially draped over Tails' plane. Cream knew about the aircraft after Tails had once rambled on about it for an entire evening. He had build it himself from spare parts found at a factory. Cream wondered what exactly the teenage boy could be doing with it.

Cream walked over to a nearby cart. Papers were scattered over it in no particular order. She briefly scanned over them, noticing most of them to just being blueprints.

One paper that had been crinkled up several times stuck out of the pile. Cream picked it up, trying to decipher what it had meant. " _Eggman_ " was written at the top followed by a list of several times and locations. The first half of the hours were crossed out, as if they had already occurred.

"Hey, Amy!" Cream called out.

Not long after, the hedgehog popped her head through the doorway, "Yeah?"

Cream turned towards her friend, holding out the paper to her, "Do you know what a man of egg is?"

Amy furrowed her eyebrows, never hearing a question like that before. Amy walked up to the rabbit, taking the paper from her hands. "This is exactly what I mean when I say something weird is going on here," she said while looking it over.

Cream hovered near Amy's shoulder. "What does it mean?"

"I don't know," Amy regretfully admitted. It was only a brief second before she suddenly asked Cream what the time was.

The bunny looked down at her watch. "It's a quarter 'til," she tapped on the screen lightly. "Why do you ask?"

Amy held up the paper for the rabbit to see. She pointed at the next uncrossed time. "It says '4:30, Mystic Meadows' and if that's today then he should have gotten there about fifteen minutes ago, right?"

Cream slowly nodded her head. "But how do we know it has anything to do with Sonic?" Cream doubtfully added.

"We don't," Amy shrugged. "I haven't found anything else in this house though and all of his computers have passwords. This is our best shot."

The two girls decided to quickly walk to the meadows, in hopes that Tails would be there. Amy had also made sure to lock the door right behind her when they left.

The walk wasn't long. Traditionally it would take 10 minutes, but Amy broke it down in half with her quick strides. Cream, being the shorter one, panted quietly from her efforts to keep up.

"Why is this such a big deal anyways?" Cream wondered out loud, feeling as if there were much better things they could be doing at the moment.

Amy didn't know how the answer the rabbit. She knew that Cream sometimes thought of her actions as irrational, but Amy also couldn't ignore her gut feeling. Something was off about Sonic and she was going to find out. Amy hated being left in the dark.

"It's not a big deal," Amy's more determined tone seemed to betray her words. "It's just I have a weird feeling about this kid and I have to trust my instincts."

Cream didn't bother arguing with her. They already broke into Tails' house, at this point it would be useless.

Cream let her eyes scan the atmosphere. Unlike the middle of the city, Mystic Meadows was significantly more peaceful. It was quiet save for the rustling of the trees and long blades of grass from the wind. She particularly enjoyed the natural green that seemed to glow from the ground.

No one else seemed to be enjoying the weather in the calming nature. Mystic Meadows was more often than not empty. Cream had been to the grassy land many times before with her mother for lunchtime picnics. She could count on one hand the amount of times she had seen another person enjoying the same setting.

Cream's admiration was disrupted when a sudden ruckus erupted from over the hill. It was strong enough to cause a subtle vibration in the ground. Both girls shared a glance between one another before taking off in the direction the commotion came from.

As the neared the top, voices became audible, but were still too faint to understand.

Amy pulled Cream off to the side to duck behind a cluster of trees. She peered around the bark to get a sight of the scene. Amy couldn't help but inwardly gasp when she looked up something she had never seen anything like before.

A rather large robot stood in the center of the field. It was coated in a flashy red with a large black logo of a man's head with a mustache in the center of the midsection. At the top of the robot sat a man, a human man, resembling the symbol that had been painted onto the metal. The top of his head was bald while a gaudy mustache frayed far out to both sides of his head.

Amy looked below the robot were both Tails and Sonic stood, not nearing the height of the machinery in any way. Amy had to guess based on the proportions that the robot was at least three stories tall.

The man's mouth was rapidly moving. Both girls could hear the frustration in his voice, but still failed to comprehend what he was saying.

"What's going on here?" Cream had whispered to moreso herself than Amy.

The girl silently shrugged, but knew her suspicion was for a reason.

Amy quickly blinked a couple times when a sudden miracle seemed to happen. In one second, the two boys were standing side by side, looking up at the angry man. The robot made a move to aim and shoot with its arm, but the targets had vanished in that instant.

A short lived trail of blue took their place before fading away. Amy then relocated the both of them on the other side.

"What the-" Amy's voice faded, unsure of what she was trying to ask.

"It's like they teleported," Cream gasped.

Sonic then moved again. This time, Amy was able to keep her eyes on the blue streak. She realized that they had not teleported, but in fact ran at an impeccable speed.

Sonic began running circles around the robot, causing a transparent, blue ring to appear.

"Wow," Cream breathed. Amy silently agreed with the younger girl. Wow indeed.

Sonic abruptly jumped up and landed a firm punch on the bot. He sent it taking several heavy steps backwards until it finally tumbled onto it's back. The man who had been controlling it let out a cry of distress.

Before the human could regain his composure, Sonic was on the move again. He ran around the robot one more time before jumping into the air. Sone balled himself up and dove onto the core of the robot. He had enough momentum to finish it off. The machine laid motionless and destroyed.

The man yelled what Amy assumed to be several curses at the teenagers as two smaller robots lifted up the man and carried him away.

The two boys casually high fived one another while the girls remained shocked from their hiding spot.

"Sonic," Cream slowly began, "has powers."

Amy numbly nodded her head. While many mobians had special skills or talents, it was rare that any had abilities that allowed for them to be considered a superhero that a kid would read out of a comic book.

"How much you wanna bet this is what they were hiding?" Amy held a hint of smugness behind her comment. She liked it when she was right, it was also a relieving feeling to know that she wasn't just being paranoid.

"Now what?" Cream asked, not wanting to expose herself to them. She would hate to have been caught spying.

"I'm not sure," Amy didn't take her eyes off of the two as they began to examine the pile of metal. "I don't really know what just happened, but there was a reason that they didn't tell us about this."

"Your boyfriend is keeping secrets from you already," Cream giggled to herself. The rabbit found it rather humorous at how easily Amy became flustered.

"He's not my boyfriend," she grumbled with a tint of red spreading across her muzzle. Amy's embarrassment was drained when an idea formed in her head.

"Although he is my fake boyfriend," Amy continued in a different direction, "so fake dates and time alone. I have the upper hand because I know something. I could probably coax him into telling me the whole story."

Amy had a triumphant grin on her face, Cream moreso had a worried expression. "That feels wrong," she mumbled. "Do I want to know how exactly you plan to do that?"

Amy thoughtfully looked over at Cream, "No, no you don't." With a final glance at the blue hedgehog she turned to go down the hill, "Let's get out of here in case they come this way." The two girls scurried away, quietly disappearing as if they had never been there in the first place.

….

Tails clicked his tongue several times as he stood in the middle of his garage. He thoughtfully cupped his chin while staring directly down as his cart of blueprints.

"What's wrong?" Sonic perked his head up from lounging back into the bean bag.

"Something's not right," Tails slowly spoke each word, as if he was unsure of himself.

Sonic chuckled at the fox. "Nothing is ever right with you," he quipped in a friendly teasing manner.

Tails shook his head, brushing off the joke. "This is different," he motioned to the pile of papers containing notes and plans of his own. "It's as if something has been moved around."

Sonic rolled his eyes. "Oh yeah, I bet the tooth fairy paid a visit and decided to rearrange all your papers to mess with you."

"Maybe I'm just being paranoid," The fox mumbled to himself before reaching for a wrench.

"That you are," Sonic confirmed. He tilted his head back and closed his eyes, ready for a nap that was long overdue.

It did not occur to either of the boys that the list of Eggman's leaked attack times and locations was absent from Tails' desk.

* * *

 **Aaaand that's it for this chapter. It was that exciting but it does set up for the next chapter which I am really excited about and hope to get out mid-week!**

 **I would just like to say that this isn't a love triangle with Shadow, Sonic and Amy so maybe there's another reason for Shadow's warning? Also I feel like Mystic Meadows is a real thing. Like the name just popped up in my head but I feel like it's from something but I don't think it's Sonic related but it's bothering me and nothing familiar popped up when I googled it. Hopefully next chapter is up before the end of 2016!**


	4. Chapter 4

**I tried to be a woman of my word and upload before the end of the year, but alas while I was typing away I was invited to go out and didn't feel like turning down the offer. So here I am uploading in 2017.**

 **Also if it's not clear by now, which it should be, Sonic's super speed is kept a secret, the reason behind that had not been revealed yet. Similarly, other characters still have their own abilities (Amy and her hammer, Shadow as "the ultimate lifeform," Tails' intelligence, etc.) but they may not have been addressed yet or are also kept a secret.**

 **Like I've said before, enjoy reading and feel free to review!:)**

* * *

Sonic glanced between Tails and the two girls sitting across the table from hm. He cautiously leaned towards Tails. "Is it just me, or has Amy been acting weird?" he whispered.

For the past couple of days, Sonic caught the other hedgehog giving him several looks before frantically turning her head away. She also began to talk at an unusually rapid pace. Sonic sometimes failed to comprehend what she had even said before she would take off down the hallway. Maybe it was just a girl thing.

Tails raised an eyebrow as he watched over his friends. Amy and Cream were talking away about a recent magazine issue, oblivious to the way Sonic was questioning them. "No," Tails answered in a confused tone. "If anyone is acting weird, it's you buddy."

Sonic wasn't satisfied with the answer, but he nodded his head off anyways.

Unknown to Sonic, Amy had been acting odd for a reason. Ever since she had seen Sonic run at an unbelievable speed, Amy couldn't look at him the same way. She wasn't thinking of him as a freak, but was moreso impressed, even though she wouldn't say it outloud.

Amy didn't want to confront Sonic on the matter. She feared he would accuse her of stalking him, which wasn't something she needed.

She was spending her time trying to plot a way for him to reveal his secret to her. Surely he wouldn't just mention it out of the blue.

Although Amy forced herself to converse with Cream, a part of her mind was focused on the feeling of Sonic's eyes practically burning into the side of her head. Although Amy stared at him quite often, it was different when Sonic was looking at her.

Amy suddenly turned to confront Sonic, but before she could get a word out, someone interrupted their peace.

"Well isn't it the happy couple," a white bat stood at the head of their table with her hands on her hips.

"Rouge?" Amy wondered out loud with a confused tone.

She gracefully strided around the end with a sway in her hips before sitting beside the pink hedgehog. Sonic immediately noted of a difference between the two girls. Rouge looked significantly older while wearing a tight v-neck compared to Amy's loose sweater.

A sly grin spread across her glossed lips. "So I've heard through the grapevine that you two are a thing," Rouge nodded her head towards Sonic.

The hedgehogs glanced between one another. Amy's brief flash of panic faded when she saw Sonic give her a small nod of the head.

"Yeah," Amy turned back to Rouge, "I guess you could say that."

Before she could blink, Rouge raised her hand and thumped Amy on the forehead. It was a light movement, but still managed to leave a red mark on her forehead.

Amy winced and rubbed the assaulted area. "What was that for?" she whined.

Rouge narrowed her eyes. "For not telling me!" she said as if Amy deserved it. "I had to find out from _Fiona_ , that you're dating one of the hottest seniors in school."

Sonic's eyes widened slightly as how forward her comment was. He flirtatiously smiled at Amy, who only rolled her eyes in response. "Well thank you," Sonic winked at the bat, who only returned the gesture.

"Yeah, okay," Amy snapped her fingers to bring Rouge's attention back to her. She really didn't want her fake boyfriend flirting with the girl who could get any guy. "Is there any other reason you came over?"

Rouge tentatively glanced between the girls and boys. She motioned with her finger for the group to lean in close, which they did. "Well like I said," she spoke as if she was revealing classified information, "I was speaking to Fiona and she's pretty close to Scourge. She said that he said that he's not through with you. Something about you regretting making a fool about him? What does that mean?"

The four knew exactly what he had meant. Somehow Scourge had found out it was them messing with him earlier that week. Amy felt dread growing in her gut.

"He's probably just jealous," Sonic tried to brush it off. He looked at Amy, "Don't take it as a real threat." As comforting as his voice was, Amy still was afraid.

"I don't know," Rouge said uncertainly. "I saw him looking around the halls earlier."

As if on cue, the green hedgehog entered the lunchroom. He locked eyes with Amy. Instead of giving a sexual gesture, he just sneered before making his way to the other side of the room. Amy ducked her head, wishing that he had never saw her.

Rouge,oblivious to her distress, shrugged off the groups quietness and turned her attention to another table.

Amy felt a small hand rest on her shoulder. Cream gave her the best supportive smile she could muster. "Don't worry, Amy," hope was edged into Cream's angelic voice, "as long as Sonic is here, he can't do anything."

Amy couldn't help but remember how she had seen Sonic take down a robot the size of her house. If it really came down to it, Sonic _could_ protect her. Not as the role of a boyfriend, but as the role of a hero.

Although Amy was still nervous, she had a new sense of safety. "I'm alright, Cream," she said honestly.

….

Sonic was walking Amy to her last class. She had insisted that it wasn't necessary, but he tagged along anyways.

"Do you ever go to class?" Amy joked as she held her books to her chest.

Sonic brought his hand to his chest, feigning being hurt. "Why, of course I do," he dramatically defended himself. "Except this final period," Sonic deadpanned.

Amy rolled her eyes, "Why the last class?"

Sonic couldn't help but allow for a smile to spread across his face. There was a gleam in his eyes, similar to the look a child with a new toy would get.

"Oh Amy Rose," his voice held a new sense of wonder, it intrigued the girl, "you have been missing out, my darling."

Amy's cheeks turned red at the use of the nickname. She didn't scold him for it, figuring it was a part of the act.

She stopped in her place along the wall of the hallway. "What is it?" she pressed.

Sonic looked down both directions of the hallway, as if someone was listening. The students who were hurrying along began to disappear into their classrooms, not paying a single mind to the couple.

"Come with me," Sonic gently grabbed her wrist and pulled her along with him into the opposite direction they had been walking.

Amy tugged back. "Wait," she protested, "are you suggesting that I skip class?" She felt a peculiar thrill at the idea. Amy knew it wasn't that big of a deal, teenagers had done it all the time. The only days Amy had ever missed school was when she was too ill to even move, other than that she abided by every rule set by the principal.

Sonic slowly nodded his head, fearing that she would turn him down. For some reason, he wanted her to accompany him, no one else but Amy.

To his surprise, Amy suddenly cracked a smile, "Lead the way."

Sonic once again pulled her down the hallway. During this time, his hand slipped from her wrist and laced with her fingers. Sonic didn't notice, but Amy had to consciously remind herself that it wasn't a big deal, that it was all an act.

Amy quickly stopped at her locker and slung her backpack up onto her shoulders.

It wasn't hard leaving the school out of the back entrance. Not a single teacher stopped them for a hall pass or asked why they were heading outside.

One side of the school faced the city, while the backyard eventually led to a forest that bordered the entire county.

Sonic eventually let go of Amy's hand as they crossed the campus. She had asked him several times where they were going, but Sonic insisted on it being surprise. Despite no change in his answer, Amy persistently questioned him over and over again.

"I feel like I'm not supposed to go into the woods with a strange boy," Amy commented as they weaved through the trees.

Sonic casted a glance back at her, "But you know me by now."

"I said _strange_ , not stranger," Amy couldn't help but giggle.

Sonic looked down at his watch, "We should hurry up. At this rate we won't get there in time."

Without any warning, Sonic began running. Amy quickly followed suit. Although he wasn't running at an unnatural pace, the girl still struggled to keep up with him. It seemed no matter how close she got, he still managed to stay a few steps ahead of her.

By the time Sonic slowed down, Amy was breathing heavily. She didn't try to speak, knowing that she didn't have the strength to muster up a single word.

She balanced her hands on her knees, feeling weak. Amy would've guessed that she had just ran two miles or so. She wanted more than anything to wipe the grin off of Sonic's face. On contrast to Amy's tiredness, Sonic looked lively and unaffected. If anything, Amy would've guessed he could easily run 2 more.

Even if she was going to question him, Amy was left speechless when she finally looked up and noticed her surroundings. The trees surrounded a very small clearing, smaller than her bedroom. It didn't look like much save for the half that cut off onto the cliff. Amy could look over the rolling hills that seemed to stretch out into the horizon. The sun, high in the sky, seemed to shine right over the little area, as if it was putting a spotlight on them.

Amy then looked down towards the ground. The grass was a fresh green, as if someone other than nature itself has been tending to it. She noticed thin vines curl from the ground and wrap around the trees that outlines the area. Small buds dotted the vines, aching to open.

Amy slowly inched towards the edge. The idea flying over and drifting through the air was unrealistic and thrilling.

"You aren't gonna push me, are you?" Amy joked while cocking an eyebrow.

"If I was gonna kill you, I would've thought of a more creative way in doing so," Sonic scoffed.

As the wind picked up, Amy backed away from the cliff, imagining herself plummeting hundreds of feet to her death. A second idea made her wonder if Sonic could catch her before she hit the ground.

"So is this the important thing you must miss last period to visit?" she inquired. Amy liked the aesthetically pleasing scene, but failed to see the importance in it.

"What time is it?"

Amy, struck for a second, fished her phone out of her pocket. "Uh- 2:55," she answered, not sure why Sonic asked her when he had his own watch.

"Exactly 3:00 is key."

Amy wondered how Sonic could be precise with time. He was always either too late or too early to whenever they planned to meet up. While she understood him being early with super speed, Amy was also offended that the supposed fastest thing alive could arrive up to an hour late.

Amy spent the next few minutes looking out over the land. She turned around when Sonic lightly tapped her shoulder. He motioned towards the vines that were motionless in the day.

"What-" Amy began to ask as the question died on her lips.

As if they gained a sudden burst of energy, the buds began to spring open, revealing vibrant colors that contrasted the common green that blanketed the surrounding woods. In a sort of rippling effect, the remaining buds spread opened as well. Before it fully registered, Amy was looking over a wall of flowers. They almost sparkled under the sunlight.

"Did that just happen?" Amy stared over the new garden, wondering if she had ever seen anything so beautiful.

Sonic stepped up beside her with a satisfied smile on his face. "I'd say missing last period for this is worth it, wouldn't you?"

"I just didn't peg you as a flower child," Amy casted a glance at him before locking her eyes back on the flowers. They shook slightly in the wind. They way the plants twisted together made it seem as if they were reciting a practiced dance.

"I like to have an appreciation for things other people don't notice," Sonic shrugged. Before Amy could respond, he raised a hand, halting her from making any movements. "Wait for it," he warned with a sense of fascination in his voice.

Slowly, the petals retracted into themselves. The colors folded back into green buds, plainly resting along the vines. The forest returned to an ordinary scene, as if the life had not just been there moments before.

"How did you find this?" Amy finally asked as she turned back to face the cliff.

Sonic scratched the back of his head. "I don't really know," he admitted. "I think I just stumbled across it one day and when I tried to come back it took me some time to realize that it only happened at a certain time."

Amy quietly nodded her head. She glanced between Sonic and the land across from them. His eyes were set on the view as well. Amy wondered what he could be thinking about.

It was proving to be difficult for the girl to read him. She had thought she was starting to figure Sonic out with all the time they were spending together. He joked around as if he didn't have a single care in the world, but suddenly she saw him beat up a robot as if it was nothing. That threw a curveball at Amy. She was struggling to understand Sonic. Amy was usually put off when people kept secrets, but this only made her more intrigued by the blue hedgehog.

Even though they had just met, Amy wanted Sonic to open up to her. The feeling of having known him before only further pushed her need to understand him. She didn't know what it was, but he was very interesting.

For the past few days, Amy struggled to come up with a way to confront Sonic without letting him know that she had been spying on him. Finally, a rather risky, and foolish, plan began to be pieced together in her mind.

"Hey, Sonic," Amy lightly called for his attention. She dragged her feet over the ground as she paced her way closer to the edge.

Sonic turned his attention to the pink hedgehog, who was suspiciously avoiding his gaze.

Amy leaned over to get a look at the ground way down below. "How steep do you think this cliff is?" she asked, not really caring for an answer.

Sonic raised an eyebrow, not understanding the sudden change in her behavior. "I don't know," he felt the need to take a couple steps closer to Amy, "500 ft?"

"Perfect," Amy whispered to herself. "And how long of a fall do you think that would be?" she asked louder.

Sonic let out a nervous laugh. He brought his hand up to scratch the back of his head. "Does it matter?" He stepped away from the edge, expecting Amy to do the same.

Amy spun around to face him. She could feel where the cliff dropped under her heels. A newer sense of courage flooded her despite the shaking of her hands. Amy flashed him a smile, "Maybe."

Before Sonic could respond, Amy spread her arms out wide, feeling the wind pull at her. Time seemed to slow as she let herself drift backwards. The ground was missing as her body plunged downwards.

Amy saw Sonic frantically reach for her before she closed her eyes, allowing for gravity to take control.

In contrast to her calm demeanor, Sonic's eyes widened in shock. Without a second thought, he took off after her.

Unlike Amy, who was soaring through the air, Sonic was able to run down the steep side of the cliff. He passed the falling girl about halfway down, giving him a head start to pinpoint her exact location.

With an extra story above the ground, Sonic pushed off the rockwall, slamming his body into Amy's.

Her breath hitched as her eyes snapped open to find her face buried into Sonic's shoulder. His arms caught her to support her back and behind her knees.

They way Sonic was holding Amy brought out the familiarity Amy was so desperately trying to recall. She remembered meeting Sonic long before high school had started.

….

On the average summer day of Mobius, the kids spent their time playing with sidewalk chalk or climbing a jungle gym. Little Amy Rose was no exception to this.

She looked like a simple kid, sporting a green polo and a yellow tutu (it was evident that she dressed herself.)

The young girl had spent so much time at the playground, she had mastered climbing the geodesic dome. While the other child made their way up it with caution, Amy could make her way to the top in seconds with barely touching the bars. Her agility was also help from the martial arts classes.

Amy decided to turn to more adventurous activities in attempt to fulfill her need for fun. She climbed trees and explored caves, never sensing any real danger in those activities. Her mother was hardly around to scold her for her actions.

Amy was never faced with a real threat until one particular day.

It was raining outside, but she couldn't stand to being inside for the whole day. She slung a yellow raincoat on before stepping outside. The grass was slippery, but she managed to walk over it with ease.

Amy, just for the heck of it, made her way to the park. As expected, it was empty.

She passed by the slides and swings and headed to the nearest group of trees. She hoped that she could find chaos that had decided to take cover among the branches.

The girl failed to notice that there had been another little hedgehog taking shade under one of the trees.

Amy jumped up, grasping on the lowest branch. She used her legs to walk up the tree trunk until they could wrap around the branch.

She made her way higher and higher into the trees. Her childish expectations wanted to see chaos cuddling together for warmth among the branches, but no other life infested the tree.

She continued to climb up to the very top, in hopes of getting a good view of the town being drenched in water. Amy didn't understand why everyone blocked out the rain, when she loved. As much as the girl preferred a sunny day, she also appreciated the stormy weather.

Too caught up in the moment, Amy flinched when a sudden thunder erupted. It was loud enough to sound as if a bomb right next to her had gone off.

When she jumped in her spot, her grip loosened and her foot slipped from the branch.

The girl let out a yelp as she flailed her arms, trying to regain her grip. Much to her fear, she fell through each layer of wood, coming closer and closer to the ground below.

She squeezed her eyes shut, expecting an excruciating pain to envelope her body, but it never came.

She gasped when a warm body caught her. Amy peeked an eye open to find the source of the comfort. She wasn't expecting another kid to triumphantly be looking down at her. It was a hedgehog, much like herself, but blue all over.

"You should be more careful," he said with a slightly scolding tone, as if he was an adult.

Amy, being a young, naive girl in the arms of a stranger, did the only thing she could. She pulled out a hammer, hitting him squarely on the head, before running home as fast as she could.

Unknown to her, the boy could've easily caught up, but he laid on the ground, lost to what had just happened.

….

Sonic smoothly touched the ground, as if he's used to experiencing such landings. He ran a few feet before slowing down.

The second he could, Sonic set Amy down. He only remained by her side to keep her steady as she was weak in the knees.

"What the heck was with that?" Sonic half yelled at Amy. "Are you crazy? What in your right mind would make you think 'Oh yeah let me just jump off this cliff! It'll be fun!'"

Amy ignored Sonic's sarcasm. "You caught me," she simply stated. Her legs wouldn't stop shaking, leaving her to hold a tight grip on Sonic.

"Yeah, I caught you," Sonic repeated. "Was I just going to-" He suddenly halted in mid sentence. His eyes widened at the realization of the situation.

Amy slyly grinned at his reaction. Secret out. Although there could've been a more reasonable way to get it out of him, Amy found this to be the funnest.

"And you just saw me…" Sonic couldn't form a complete sentence. He felt rather awkward and wanted to run away.

"Yep," Amy chirped with a smile on her face. "And," she included after a moment, "I remember you now: when I was little, you _caught_ me falling out of a tree."

"And now I caught you falling down a cliff," Sonic deadpanned. He let go of the girl and ran a hand through his quills. "How did you know I was going to catch you this time?"

"Well I didn't remember you until after you caught me. But I knew there was something strange about you." Amy gave the best answer she could without exposing the fact that she broke into Tails' house and followed them to really find out the truth. "I just had a feeling and put it to the test.

"Funny," Sonic muttered, "I don't have any memory of a crazy pink hedgehog."

Amy snickered, not offended by his choice of words used to describe her. "You don't remember me at all?" Amy was kind of relieved that he didn't. She was embarrassed by the radical actions of her younger self. It also made Amy wonder how many other people Sonic had saved before.

"Honestly I'm still in shock that you just jumped off a cliff," Sonic stuffed his hands in his pockets. Amy noted how he looked uncomfortable.

"You jumped off it too," she pointed out.

"I ran down it." Sonic couldn't help but give her a smart comment.

"Whatever," she muttered, not having anything smart to retort with. "So I guess you're pretty fast," Amy steered the conversation back onto Sonic's ability.

"For as long as I could remember." He tilted his head back, looking up at the clear sky. Sonic couldn't remember the first time he ran. It was just something he always did. It was a part of him.

Amy looked up at the sky as well. It was a beautiful day, even with all the wind whipping her quills around her. She was sure to keep her arms down so her skirt wouldn't lift up.

Amy began to chew on the inside of her cheek. It was always a habit of hers when she tried to wrap her mind around something. "Why do you keep it a secret?"

Sonic shrugged as he mindlessly began to pace back and forth. "I just do. I like to use it to help people out, ya know? And it's not like I'm running around with a mask on or anything, I just avoid letting anyone know my name or get a clear image of me if a lot of people are around. I don't want it to turn into a publicity thing... or worse, have someone go after the people I care about."

This had been the most serious Amy had ever seen Sonic. She couldn't help but admire him. "You're a hero," she spoke with wonder.

Sonic usually would have taken the compliment as a chance to make a narcissistic comment, but he had never been so directly called a "hero" before. He chuckled while scratching the back of his head. "Yeah," he quietly spoke moreso to himself, "I guess I am."

Amy giggled at his lost look. "So," she drawled on, "now what?"

"Anything," Sonic shrugged again. His ears perked slightly as a sudden reminder came to him. "Although can I ask you a favor?"

Amy raised a hand, stopping him from speaking. "Say no more." She made a motion as if she zipped and locked her mouth, "My lips are sealed." Sonic nodded his head in appreciation. "Except for Cream," Amy hastily added.

Sonic gave her an unimpressed look. "What do you expect?" Amy defensively asked while crossing her arms over her chest. "She's my best friend!"

"Fine," Sonic gave in, "but you can't tell anyone else."

Amy then took a step closer to Sonic, which made him rather nervous. The girl was so unpredictable to him he was thankful they weren't at the top of another cliff. "Can I ask a favor of you?" Amy had a shy smile on her face. She looked almost as innocent as Cream was.

"What is it?" Sonic stuttered.

"What just happened was pretty fun," Amy admitted, although Sonic would tend to disagree. "Could you maybe take me for a run?"

"You mean you want me to carry you around with me?"

Amy eagerly nodded her head. The wobbly feeling in her legs had just disappeared. She was more than ready to experience what it was that Sonic got to.

"I don't see why not." Sonic was not used to bringing people along with him. Tails usually stuck to his own mode of transportation, leaving Sonic on his own.

With an enthusiastic squeal, Amy bounced up onto Sonic's back, catching him off guard. "Jeez what do you eat?!" Sonic joked as he adjusted his grip on Amy. His comment earned him a punch on the arm that hurt more than he had expected.

His laughter was drowned out by the wind as he took off in an instant. Amy couldn't help but hold tight even though she tried her best not to choke the blue hedgehog to death. The world around her blurred into mere streaks of color. She couldn't find the right words to explain why, but she thought that going this fast with Sonic was different than just riding a rollercoaster. It was enjoyable and left butterflies in her stomach. Amy had a feeling she was really going to like Sonic.

….

Far outside the city sat a lone house. It was large enough for a family of at least ten, but only held two living life forms. Any other types of company were robots and computers.

Doctor Eggman sat at his large computer screen, looking over his past failed blueprints. "Annoying, blue rat!" He slammed a fist down onto his desk. Several crumpled up pages of notes drifted to the floor, adding to the mess of the office.

He continued to grumble to himself as he clicked through images of Sonic. There was a well balance between photos of him in school, at home, and fighting off threats.

Eggman didn't notice a darker being walk into the room. "I'm starting to think you have an unhealthy obsession with him," Shadow duly noted.

Eggman turned back to the stoic hedgehog. His face perked when his eyes rested on his ultimate weapon. "It's not an obsession," he explained rather defensively. "It's just that no matter what he always gets in the way of my plans."

"Right, _he's_ the problem," Shadow said unconvinced.

He looked at the pictures Eggman displayed. If Shadow wasn't so bored, he'd find something better to do with his time.

Eggman paused on one photo of Sonic along with his sidekick fox. The man knew of Tails, who also proved himself to be a pest by showing up whenever Sonic did. He was briefly intrigued by the pink hedgehog, who was also in the picture, that was standing a little close to Sonic. Eggman had never seen that girl before.

"Did the blue hair ball get an equally annoying girlfriend?" Eggman wondered out loud.

Seeing Amy on the screen brought Shadow closer to the computer. He wasn't much of a hedgehog for compassion, but he didn't want her to get involved when she was innocent. "I know her," Shadow admitted. "She's a nobody," he didn't mean it to be cruel, but to ward off Eggman's interest.

"Right," the man agreed even though he didn't know her. "Is she from your little study group?"

"You said it's healthy for me to interact with the citizens," Shadow shrugged as if it was nothing.

"I never said you actually had to give a damn about them," Eggman mocked. He gave a wicked laugh while spinning in his chair to face the hedgehog. He placed a hand on Shadow's shoulder, which he brushed off immediately. "Don't worry, Shadow, your time will come where none of them will matter."

He silently nodded his head to agree with his mentor. Eggman had a plan, but Shadow had one of his own.

* * *

 **I know some things about Shadow and Eggman are unclear right now, but questions will be answered later. If you have questions pertaining to something that happened specifically so far, feel free to ask.**

 **Also, should I tone down the fluff or are you guys liking it?**


	5. Chapter 5

**Okay so yeah it's been awhile since I've updated but hey I'm here to finish a story that has a whopping 11 chapters to go and dead or alive I'll do it dammit.**

 **If you don't remember where we left off: Amy had just learned of Sonic's secret ability to run as fast as the speed of sound. She proved this by having him save her after falling off a cliff!**

 **Also, thank you to everyone who had reviewed awhile ago, I really appreciate the support so far:)**

* * *

Amy let out a deep breath. She felt as if she had just finished running a marathon, even though Sonic was the one who ran a distance of about five. Her quills were messy, curling out in several directions.

Sonic helped her stand up when he noticed a wobble in her stance. He grinned at the excitement Amy was failing to hide.

"I have to admit," she managed to sustain her breathing, "that was the coolest thing I've ever done."

"I do it all the time," Sonic shrugged, as if it was nothing. Although he never took his ability for granted.

"How do you get used to that?" Amy wondered as the two walked up to her front door.

Sonic kicked at the gravel. "I don't," he humbly admitted. He stuffed his hands into his jean pockets and glanced down both directions of the street. Amy did the same when she noticed Sonic suspiciously looking around. He couldn't help but shake the feeling that someone was watching him.

There was an awkward pause as Amy stood in front of her door. She watched Sonic look around himself once more. "You don't think I'm crazy, do you?" she suddenly asked.

The blue hedgehog's head snapped towards her at the sudden question. He only raised an eyebrow at her.

"Do you?" Amy pressed.

"Considering that you just jumped off a cliff to make a point that could've easily been done with words," Sonic thoughtfully rubbed his chin, "I'd say yes." Amy's ears noticeably dropped as she began to chew on the inside of her cheek. "There's nothing wrong with crazy though," Sonic hastily added when he notice the girl deflate.

Amy shyly smiled at him, "Really?" Sonic nodded.

Amy promptly punched Sonic's shoulder. He rubbed the sore area that he was sure would bruise. Sonic didn't expect such a little girl to hurt. "What was that for?" Sonic casted her a more than annoyed look.

"Don't call me crazy," Amy glared back at him with her arms folded over her chest.

Sonic's eyes widened in disbelief, "But you asked and I just answered honestly!"

"You're not supposed to," she huffed. Even though Amy spoke in an aggressive tone, she couldn't help but crack a smile.

"Jeez," Sonic sighed, "remind me not to get on your bad side."

Amy ignored his comment. "I should go," she cracked her door opened. Sonic gave a small wave and turned to walk away.

"One more thing," Amy quickly mentioned before he could take off, "Cream is having this thing this weekend." Amy fiddled with the doorknob, trying to make it seem as if all of her attention wasn't narrowed down to just him, "You should come."

"Can I bring Tails?"

"I'm pretty sure Cream personally invited him," Amy giggled.

It was becoming more and more obvious to Sonic that something was going on between their best friends. "Tails likes her, ya know?"

Amy gave a slight nod of her head, "Yeah. I think everyone knows but her."

Sonic shrugged, "He'll probably tell her some day."

Another silence filled the space between them. Sonic felt pressured under the way Amy stared at him. He was somewhat nervous. Sonic figured it was the same paranoia that made him think someone was watching him.

"Like I said," Amy let out a laugh, "I should go."

"Right, me too," Sonic quickly answered. He didn't know why, but something felt weird between the two. He was aware of the sudden shift in the air that brought tension between the two friends. He didn't mention how Amy seemed a little off herself.

The pink hedgehog quickly shut her front door. Amy briefly closed her eyes, feeling her heartbeat in her ears. It echoed in the otherwise empty house.

….

Sonic took off the moment Amy left. He couldn't help but shake the feeling that someone _really_ was watching him.

Through the blur of the trees around him, Sonic could clearly see a figure standing further down his path. Although he kept a cocky grin on his face, Sonic inwardly groaned.

Shadow wasn't anymore enthused. He stood stiffly with his arms crossed over his chest and his red eyes narrowed down onto the blue hedgehog.

"You again?" Sonic slowed down until he came to a complete stop directly in front of Shadow. He knew the stiff posture was meant to intimidate him. Sonic could only take it as a joke. "I'm beginning to think that you're my biggest fan."

"Shut up." Shadow huffed out a breath of air that brushed across Sonic's face. He took a step back to let more space flood the area between them.

The rustle of the trees prevented any silence from taking over. It was still midday with the sun casting its heat over them. Rays of light peaked through the branches. One landed across Sonic's face, causing his left eye to twinkle with his grin.

"What's got you so hopped up?"

"You." Shadow jabbed his finger on Sonic's chest, pushing his weight back a bit but not quite enough to knock him over.

"Me?" Sonic swatted his hand away. "What did I do?" he asked, no longer grinning. "I barely even know you!"

"I know you enough." Shadow gave Sonic a cold stare. The humor in his demeanor had now been weighed down. He didn't know what Shadow meant. "I know you enough," he repeated.

Sonic folded his arms, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I know about your feud with Eggman." Shadow shook his head like a disappointed parent, "I also know that if you keep hanging around innocent people like that girl, you're gonna get her hurt."

"Amy?"

"Yes, Amy." Shadow threateningly leaned in, "Stop picking fights with evil scientists and stop being friends with Amy."

Sonic bursted out laughing. He rested his hands on his knees as he lost control of his composure. "D-did you just call Egghead an evil scientist?" Sonic knew that Eggman was technically a doctor, but after all of the fails and whining he had witnessed, he just couldn't take the man seriously anymore.

"Don't laugh you little-"

"Woah, wait just a minute," Sonic wiped the tears from his eyes and straightened up to meet Shadow's red eyes, "are you scared of Eggman?"

"No!" Shadow defended himself, using all his strength to no punch him square in the jaw. His voice had been loud enough to cause a family of chao to flee from a nearby tree in fear. Sonic looked up at the creatures and gave a smile to the ones that looked back at him, letting them know there was no threat.

"What is it then?" Sonic tilted his head, wondering what he was doing in the middle of the woods with a guy he barely knew. "Is there a possibility that you may be worried for my safety?" he teased.

Shadow had enough of the foolery going on. He didn't expect for it to be this hard for his point to get through Sonic's thick skull. "Look, I don't care how much Eggman attacks you, but if you keep hanging around that girl, she'll become a target as well. If she gets hurt because of you, I won't hesitate to shove my boot up your ass."

"Kinky."

Shadow let out a wail of frustration. "Can't you take anything serious in your life?! Or how about for her life?"

"You really need to calm down or else smoke will start coming out of your ears." Sonic at this point was trying to mess around. He wondered how mad he could make Shadow before the other hedgehog actually did attempt to strangle him.

"Just stay away from Amy!" Shadow grabbed Sonic's shoulder rather roughly, it was almost as if he was trying to shake some sense into him. "She doesn't need you putting her on Doctor Robotnik's radar and into anymore trouble you've caused."

Sonic didn't bother to fight Shadow. He let his arms hang at his side like a rag doll. "How do you know Amy?"

Shadow narrowed his eyes. He shoved Sonic back a few steps. "That's none of your business."

"Well she seems to be important to you," Sonic smirked, the tone in his voice hinting to something more. Whatever it was, Shadow ignored it.

"Yeah?" Shadow took a few more steps back. He pressed on the back of his heels. With small clicks, his hover shoes turned on. "And if she means anything to you, you'll do as I say and stay away." With those final words, Shadow took off, moving almost as fast as Sonic. He watched the way the tall grass and branches bent from the gusts of wind left behind.

Sonic didn't know what to do with Shadow. He had no plan on actually ghosting Amy from his life. He considered her to be a new friend. If Eggman ever did threaten Amy, Sonic could easily protect her.

….

"You were right, Cream," Amy spoke into her phone, "the dress was perfect." She grinned to herself, now excited to wear a new outfit to Cream's party. With a skip in her step Amy swung the bag back and forth at her side.

" _When I saw it the other day I knew it would be perfect for you_." She could hear the grin in Cream's voice.

Not that she cared too much, Amy wondered how Sonic would feel about the dress. More particularly, her in the dress.

She was about to respond to her friend, but a sudden cry stopped her thoughts. Passing through the food court, she saw kids all over the place. One small boy not too far from her sat on a bench with new tears starting to stream down his face. Amy glanced around her for any possible parents that looked similar to the purple badger. He seemed to be all alone.

"Hang on one second, Cream." She put her phone in her pocket before making her way over to the child. When she got closer, she noticed a cone in one hand and a scoop of ice cream on the ground. It was easy for her to put the pieces together.

"Hey," she gently said while bending over to meet his eye level, "are you okay?"

The boy sniffled a few times while mustering up control over his breathing, "A mean man pushed over my cone."

Amy furrowed her eyebrows. It wasn't common for adults to pick on children. "Who would do that to a little kid?"

The boy didn't say anything. He promptly pointed across the food court to a group of teenagers throwing fries at one another. Amy instantly recognized them as students from her school. Even worse, one of them was Scourge.

"Here," she dug out cash that was more than enough for ice cream and handed it over to the boy. His face instantly brightened up. Amy barely heard the thanks he yelled over his shoulder as he scampered off to the nearest ice cream stand.

"Cream," Amy groaned while bringing her phone back up to her ear, "guess who out of all people just so happens to be here."

" _You don't mean…_ "

"Yep." Amy turned her head away and started walking in the opposite direction.

" _Get out of there before he sees you_ ," Cream warned.

"Was already on it," she muttered into the phone, as if he might hear her. With a glance over her shoulder, Amy jumped seeing his eyes were already narrowed down onto her. "Too late anyways," she felt a sudden dread in her chest. "Why do I feel like this planet is too small?" Amy picked up her pace.

" _Is he walking towards you_?"

"I don't know nor do I want to." Amy rounded a corner and pressed herself up against the wall. She glanced at the window next to her. In the display there was an image of a mongoose gazing lovingly at a fox, th perfect modeling couple in their perfect outfits. Amy suddenly remembered that she was half of a couple.

"Sorry, Cream, but I'll have to call you back," Amy hung up the phone before her friend could respond. Right away Amy called another friend. She was grateful to have Sonic on speed dial, all it took was the press of a button to contact him.

It took a painfully long couple of rings before Amy heard a voice on the other end. "Sonic-" was all she managed to get out before she felt her phone almost ripped away from her ear. She jumped at the aggressive hold on her wrist.

Amy glared up at Scourge with enough anger to scare any normal teenage boy away. She yanked her arm from his grip and gently rubbed the injured spot. Amy wouldn't be surprised if she later found a bruise.

"What do you want, Scourge?" Amy narrowed her eyes at him. She tried to not let it show how small she felt under his invading gaze.

Scourge flashed a sharp fang as he smirked down at the girl. "I couldn't help but notice you across the room." He leaned in towards Amy, "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were hiding from me."

It was obvious to anyone that Amy was indeed avoiding Scourge. She ignored his comment and tried reaching for her device, "Just give me back my phone, Scourge."

"And why should I do that?" the green hedgehog challenged in response.

"'Cause if you don't you'll have to deal with me."

Amy and Scourge spun their heads at the same time to see Sonic standing with a triumphant smirk. Amy instantly felt relief seeing her hero there. She was still amazed at his response time, it had been less than a minute that she had called him. Amy hadn't even told him her location and Sonic managed to find her.

Scourge pulled away from Amy just enough for her to sigh and gain control of her breath. "What are you doing here?" he sneered at Sonic.

Sonic rolled his eyes as he strolled beside Amy. He casually threw an arm over her shoulders causing the girl to go a shade redder in the face. "I'm out with my _girlfriend_ ," Sonic emphasized, "is that a crime?"

Scourge looked back and forth between the two hedgehogs. He noticed the way Amy seemed a little stiff at Sonic's side. He nodded at the said girl, "She looks a little bored." Scourge winked at Amy, "If you want I can show you a little fun."

Sonic stepped in front of Amy. He rolled his eyes, finding the phony "tough-guy" act tiring. "Little, alright," he mocked, alluding to something more.

Scourge narrowed his eyes. He began muttering a inaudible curse words as he took a step towards Sonic.

Amy could feel fear creep up in her stomach. She couldn't help but wonder if Scourge was really going to try to fight Sonic. There was no doubt in her mind that Sonic would win, but she still worried for he beloved, fake boyfriend.

Scourge raised a fist but never swung it.

The moment was interrupted as a squirrel cop stood over Scourge's shoulder. "What exactly is going on here?" He eyed the three teenagers, judging who exactly was causing the most trouble.

Scourge shook out his fist. "Nothing," he grumbled, "was just catching up with some old friends."

The officer looked over at Amy's eyes giving away how nervous she felt. He didn't believe scourge for one second. "Yeah, sure pal," he scoffed before dragging Scourge away by the shoulder.

Sonic looked amusingly at the retreating green hedgehog as several of his friends rushed after him out of the mall. The blue hedgehog tauntingly pulled down his eyelid and stuck out his tongue.

"That was interesting," Amy commented, not sure of what else to say. She glanced over at Sonic and giggled. Sonic sent her a questioning look, not catching on to the joke. "It's just funny," Amy explained, "Scourge was trying to start a fight with you, but you could've easily beat him, couldn't you?"

Sonic tried to humbly shrug, even though Amy was right. Unless Scourge proved to be something other than a normal teenager, Sonic could've easily knocked him out. It wasn't exactly his style to beat up on other teenagers.

Sonic opened his mouth to respond but was cut off by a younger voice. "Miss!" Amy looked over to see the young boy she had given change to from earlier. He was holding a vanilla cone in each hand as he trotted up to the teenagers.

"Oh, hi," Amy kindly smiled, wondering what the kid had to say.

"I had enough for two," the boy held out one cone to Amy, which she happily accepted. He then glanced over to Sonic. "Sorry," he shyly licked the cone, "I didn't get one for your boyfriend."

Hearing Sonic be referred to as her "boyfriend" didn't throw Amy off as much as she thought it would. Her face heated up as the boy innocently smiled up at her. "It's no problem," Amy tilted the cone towards Sonic, "we can share."

Sonic's eyes widened slightly as he looked at frozen treat. He opened his mouth to respond but nothing came out.

The conversation was cut short when a crash was overheard from above. Amy yelped when the ceiling above them gave way. She pulled the boy into her arms, protectively hugging him to her chest. The ice cream was forgotten in the chaos and had once again fallen to the floor. Sonic instinctively covered the girl with his own body to block the deprise. As the tiles collided with the ground, the nearby pedestrians screamed and abandoned their shopping.

"Danny!" An older mongoose cried out from the crowd as she spun around scanning the faces.

The boy lept from Amy's arms and ran towards the woman. "Mommy!" he cried out as she embraced him. Amy stared wide-eyed at the quick exchange before the small family rushed out of the mall.

"Are you okay?" Sonic snapped Amy's attention back to him. The carefree ease in his eyes now vanished.

Amy looked over Sonic's shoulder. A huge hole now created a skylight in the middle of the ceiling, letting rays from the sun shine a spotlight directly on the two.

"What's going on?" Amy half yelled so she could be heard over the commotion.

Sonic's eyes fixated on the piece of sky visible through the broken ceiling. "I don't usually get into fights with high school students," he grumbled, "instead, I have to deal with this."

On cue, a large man flew down through the broken part of the building. His maniacal laugh echoed along the now empty stores. Amy recognized the man as the owner of the robot she had initially seen Sonic battling.

Up close she could see the more fine details in the man's face. He had several wrinkles along the side of his mouth and eyes. Usually, the aging marks were referred to as "laugh lines," but Amy doubted that the man in front of them had much joy.

"What do you want now, Eggbrain?" Sonic sounded bored as he shook his head.

Eggman growled at the nickname. After all the time he spent fighting with the blue blur, he wished for some respect. "I don't think you're in the position to be calling me names, _you blue rodent_ ," Eggman was sure to hiss the last insult.

Sonic wasn't as bothered by petty names. "And what do I have to fear from you?"

Eggman's smirk stretched from one end of his face to the other. Amy shuddered at how creepy the man managed to look. She wondered how often fought the guy for him to be so calm in the situation.

Eggman quickly typed away at the panels on his hovering Egg Mobile. Two mechanical arms reached out from the machine as several buzz bombers were deplored from the bottom.

Sonic scoffed at the display. While Amy felt herself shaken in her boots, this was childsplay to the more experienced hedgehog. Sonic gave a confident smile at Amy, who had concern written all her her face. "Watch and learn."

Sonic took off in a flash, leaving a gust of wind behind in his wake. Amy quickly moved her arms to her front to prevent her skirt from being blown up. She blinked a few times before her eyes once again landed on Sonic. He easily bounced from robot to robot, knocking them all down as he went along.

Amy was impressed. Like a child reading about their favorite superhero, she felt a budding admiration for the faster hedgehog. Part of her wished that she could be up at his side, proving herself to be as strong as him. Amy thought about pulling out her hammer, but knew Sonic already had the situation under control. "Next time…" she mumbled to herself.

Sonic easily landed right before Eggman. The sudden weight threw the mobile off balance, almost rocking Eggman out of his seat. He let out an aggressive cry before glaring fiercely at his enemy.

"Now come on, Eggman," Sonic tsked the evil scientist, "tell me why exactly you decided to attack the mall just now. Those robots were pretty trivial, even for you."

The man huffed for a moment before letting a wicked grin spread across his face. "Oh, do you really want to know?" Sonic only raised an eyebrow in response.

Eggman nudged a joystick among the couple on the panel in front of him. Sonic turned his head when he sensed movement out of the corner of his eye. Followed by a quick screech, Sonic saw one of the arms lift Amy from the ground. She kicked her legs back and forth as she tried to wiggle out of the grip the claw held around her body.

Sonic looked back at Eggman, "What does she have to do with anything?"

"Rumor on the street has it that she's your little girlfriend."

Sonic didn't want to know who exactly he had talked to to find out that information. The idea of Eggman conversing with a bunch of unsuspecting teenagers sent a chill down his spine.

Sonic quickly glance between his fake girlfriend and arch nemesis once more. "'Girlfriend'?" Sonic mocked. He let out a quick laugh while shaking his head. "I barely know this girl, Eggman."

Amy knew right away what Sonic was doing, but she still felt the disappointment sink into her stomach. She wondered how it was so easy for Sonic to deny her. Either way, she knew she had to play along.

"Oh, really?" Eggman doubtfully hummed while he twisted an end of his mustache.

"I don't even know his name!" Amy interjected. Sonic quickly nodded in agreement, hoping to prevent her from getting more tangled up in the mess that comes along with Eggman.

"How come I've seen you guys talking?" Eggman added another obstacle to their lie.

"We go to the same school! I eventually talk to everyone there."

"You've been spying on me?" Sonic scrunched his face up with disgust. Before Eggman could retort once more, Sonic jumped from his spot and dashed into the claw. The grip on Amy loosened enough for her to slip through. In the brief moment she spent falling through the air, Amy hoped that her skirt wasn't up enough for the whole world to see. "I'm done with this." Sonic swiftly caught Amy in his arms, who leaned comfortably into his chest.

Eggman's yells of frustration could barely be heard over the wind as Sonic dashed far out of the mall, leaving the scientist behind.

Amy took in the moment to understand how carefree Sonic truly was. She was amazed at how easily he handled both Eggman and Scourge in the matter of ten minutes. Amy felt as if the whole time she was on an emotional rollercoaster from trying to understand what exactly was happening around her. She wanted to understand why her heart did small flutters over and over again.

Amy recognized this feeling. She had felt it once before. Her mind tried to shut down the idea before it could fully manifest.

Sonic smiled down at Amy. It was just a friendly smile with no other intention behind it, but Amy couldn't help thinking about how close their faces were and knew that she was becoming red as a tomato.

 _Oh no..._

* * *

 **So that wasn't too eventful but I'm excited about posting the next chapter that will hopefully be up within the next month! Thanks for reading after all this time!**


	6. Chapter 6

**At least I didn't update a year later.**

* * *

The weekend came in flying colors. Cream was giddy with excitement as she had gushed about her upcoming party every day with her best friend Amy. The pink hedgehog was more than aware that the majority of her excitement was over the expected appearance of Tails. Every time Amy mentioned it, Cream fumbled over her words with a blush stamped across her face.

The two girls spent the entirety of their day doing minor prep work. There were several runs across town collecting snacks, drinks and what little decorations Cream found necessary. Half way through, her mother called to check up on her daughter. Cream kept quiet about how many friends she had invited over, but Vanilla was well aware that more teenagers than she was comfortable with were going to be in her house and had to quietly accept it.

Cream was busy hanging stream lights from the ceiling as Amy stood at the island mixing up a spiked punch bowl. She eyed the bottle of vodka, unsure how much exactly to put in. Amy was never impressed with alcoholic beverages and didn't understand why she had to go through the trouble of using a fake ID and flirting with the cashier so a bunch of teenagers could get drunk. And she thought it tasted like nail polish remover.

Amy cautiously twisted off the lid before bringing her nose to the hard drink. She inhaled the aroma and immediately felt it down her throat, prompting her to scrunch her nose in disgust before pouring it into the juice.

"How much of this stuff am I supposed to use?" Amy called over to her best friend as she watched the bottle slowly empty.

Cream looked down at Amy from atop the ladder. She just shrugged her shoulders in response. Cream, although she was supporting the drinking of minors, never had a sip of alcohol herself. She preferred to stay away from any substance abuse and keep the clear mind her mother had raised her with.

"Do you think the whole bottle was too much?" Amy wondered again. She realized after the bowl was full that she didn't think through about the juice to vodka ratio. She hoped that she wouldn't have to deal with any obnoxious drunks later into the evening. Usually everyone paced themselves decently enough, but last time Knuckles ended up on the table while singing "dancing queen." Amy mused the idea of just pretending that the punch was spiked and seeing who actually would let loose afterwards.

It didn't take much effort for the girls to set out other bottles with a variety of beverages for the guests. Several bowls of chips and pretzels also made an appearance, but they usually weren't the center of attention at high school parties. Cream finished hanging the stream lights and lit several candles against Amy's better judgement.

It was sunset by the time the party was finally in full swing. The first few minutes were full of small talk as the people who actually arrived on time drifted in. Amy found it rather painful and buried her face in a cup of (non-spiked) water.

As the groups of friends came in, she couldn't help herself but scan the crowd for a certain blue hedgehog. Sonic had a way of standing out and lighting up the room, but Amy felt her ears deflate everytime she had no sense of that presence.

She jumped when she felt an arm suddenly drape around her shoulders. "Watcha doing looking so glum, dollface?" It was Rouge. Amy couldn't help but self consciously eye the bat's outfit. She pulled off a purple halter top with a black, tight skirt and matching stilettos. Leave it to Rouge to be the best dressed at any event.

"I'm not glum," Amy muttered into her cup. She was still enjoying the party atmosphere even if she wasn't her usual social butterfly self. Amy eyed the drink held in Rouge's perfectly manicured hand, "How's the punch?"

"Oh, this?" Rouge thoughtfully looked down at the beverage as she swirled the cup in her hand. She then took a swig and let out a delightful sigh, "It's basically red vodka." Rouge then peered into Amy's cup. "Please tell me you aren't drinking water."

"There's nothing wrong with that," she shrugged while taking another sip.

Rouge shook her head and promptly took the cup from Amy's grasp. Her protests went unheard as the bat dragged her over to the kitchen island. Several other students Amy recognized from school gathered around the food and beverages. The conversations slowly grew louder as the need to be heard increased.

Amy immediately recognized Knuckles, who was currently chatting up a group of cheerleaders as he poured one a cup of the red vodka. Rouge pushed her way to the front of the group before he could hand off the plastic cup. "Thanks, Knuckie," she cooed as she took the cup from his hand and passed it over to Amy.

The other girls sighed and walked away at the new presence of the all intimidating Rouge. Knuckles silently fumed as he sent a glare her way. Amy wondered if the bat did that intentionally. She knew something unsaid was always going on between the two.

"What do you want?" Knuckles groaned as he looked around for a distraction.

"Nothing," Rouge purred as she leaned up against the counter, tilting her head and batting her lashes. "I'm just here getting dear Amy a real drink."

Knuckles then looked over at Amy, who promptly turned away and began to down the cup. She felt as if she was rather intruding their moment together. "Looks more like you're torturing her," he mused while raising a suspicious brow. She hated how they spoke about her as if she wasn't standing right next to them.

Amy downed half the cup before she decided she had enough of the horrid punch. Feeling warm enough for the rest of the night, she abandoned her drink at the island and retreated back into the living room. Whatever remaining conversation that existed between Rouge and Knuckles was quickly drowned out by the loud laughter and half yelling of her peers.

Amy hung around Cream for a bit, who was busy deep in a conversation with a few underclassmen. She couldn't stop her eyes from darting to the front door every five seconds. Between the thought of how horrid her mouth tasted and the anxious feeling in the pit of her stomach, Amy couldn't pay attention to a single word spoken by her friends.

Noticing her own unusual antisocial behavior, Amy receded up the stairs and locked herself in the bathroom. She stared into her own reflection, not noticing anything strange. Other than a slight flush in her cheeks, she saw herself as normal as ever.

Amy did not feel normal.

She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to only focus on the muffle of the chatter and music from downstairs. The alcohol in her mouth intensified the more Amy tried to ignore it. She turned on the faucet began scooping water up into her mouth. She had to get rid of the lingering taste in her mouth once and for all. She desperately looked through the cabinet for any mouthwash, silently cursing Cream for not having enough dental care to help.

Amy wanted to blame her spazzy behavior on the punch, but even she couldn't deny the root of her problems. She was nervous. Amy was used to getting nervous around boys all the time, but this was different. Usually she wished for them to leave her alone in peace. Instead, Amy was anticipating the arrival of one she was slowly coming to endear. As the minutes passed by, she pondered the idea that Sonic wouldn't show.

 _Why would he?_ Amy bitterly thought. They were fake dating, he didn't owe her anything more than that.

Squeezing her eyes shut, Amy then slapped both of her cheeks. _Get a hold of yourself._ She took a deep breath before looking up into the mirror. The taste now faded enough for her to think clearly. She had seen Sonic at school all week long and felt the usual friendly atmosphere that the two carried between them. Today was no different.

Sonic was just a boy. Maybe he will show, maybe he won't. Either way it made no difference to her.

Amy straightened herself up before exiting the bathroom, not admitting that she was blatantly lying to herself.

….

Rouge smirked as Knuckles fumbled over his words. She twisted a lock of hair and gazed intently into his eyes, knowing she looked as alluring as she felt.

Her gaze was suddenly drawn over his shoulder as she saw a familiar figure. Whatever Knuckles had been babbling on about was suddenly ignored as Rouge abandoned his side. The echidna angrily yelled out after her, not appreciating the sudden loss of attention. He watched her retreating figure with a sigh and began to down the rest of his cup.

Rouge had walked off to the darkest corner of the house. "Hello, old friend," she leaned up against the wall next to the figure, watching the party as an outsider.

Shadow silently nodded his head in acknowledgement. He couldn't help but criticize all of the teenagers dancing around in front of him, using the alcohol as an excuse to act like fools.

"Didn't think this was your type of scene," Rouge coyly added.

Shadow rolled his eyes, "It's not."

"So then," a hint of seriousness made its way across Rouge's face, "why exactly are you here?" Shadow didn't answer, letting Rouge's mind wander to his motives. Rouge opened her mouth to speak once more, but a sudden uproar caught their attention.

At the door stood Tails and Sonic, who were both greeted happily by kids crowded in the living room. Shadow bitterly thought about how anyone who knew the two adored them. He was even beginning to see the same effects working on Amy.

"It's not 'cause of _him_ , is it?" Rouge tested. She eyed Shadow, seeing no change other than a clench in his jaw. "Oh, so it is!" She found a new interest as she let her mouth hang open slightly.

Shadow snapped his head towards her, his red eyes lighting up in flames. "It is not," he growled. His stare would've made any other person burn into ash on the spot, but not Rouge. She only found herself more curious.

"You've been more cranky ever since he started hanging out with Pinky," Rouge noted, easily putting the clues together. She could already form the perfect love triangle in her head: full of drama and angst.

Shadow only rolled his eyes. He knew exactly where Rouge was going. "Whatever you're implying is not happening." She had a knack for making a big deal out of little signs and spreading rumors left and right, Shadow was not letting her this time.

Rouge studied his face for a moment. His face was sculpted and narrowed into a frown, not looking at anything in particular. She could tell he was thinking to himself rather than judging the teenagers in front of him. Shadow was usually a quiet guy, but there were a few things that Rouge recognized to bring that look to his face. "Is this about Eggman?" She scanned his face to see any reaction.

Before Shadow could respond, another voice intruded their conversation.

"Egg- who?" Both spun their heads to see Knuckles standing there with a lost look. Rouge could tell by the flush on his face that he landed himself another drink in the few minutes that they were apart.

She gave him a half hearted smile and nudged him back towards the kitchen, "Come on, let's find your friends." Rouge looked over her shoulder to see that Shadow was gone. There was an empty space along the wall as if he had never been there. She was more than likely on his bad side at the moment for bringing up such a name in the middle of a crowd. Thankfully, Knuckles never brought up the name again, having it quickly forgotten by the stuffy air of a high school party.

….

Amy made it a quarter way down the stairs before she spotted the new arrival floating towards the kitchen. She barely was able to turn in his direction before someone else bumped her shoulder. Amy opened her mouth to apologize, but let the words fall short when she recognized who it was.

Shadow.

Amy noticed he was heading towards the door. "Are you leaving already? I didn't even know you were here." She hadn't personally invited Shadow, figuring that he would rather do anything else but hang out with a bunch of teenagers that he didn't know- especially when all of the said teenagers were being loud and obnoxious.

Shadow shrugged his shoulders, "I'm not really having the time of my life." Amy giggled at his usual behavior. She would be more concerned if he was with the crowd socializing.

He casted a final glance at Sonic, whom everyone welcomed warmly. Several people gave him a slap on the back of a hand shake followed by a half hug. He studied the way Sonic's grin was lazy and lopsided, as if he didn't have a single care in the world. Shadow envied the way people blindly adored him, and he slowly saw the change in Amy as she too was becoming one of those people.

The pink hedgehog caught Shadow staring, but didn't make any comment. She was caught off guard when he suddenly turned to her. Shadow's gaze was half-lidded and tired, but didn't show any signs of hatred. Amy then noticed how old he seemed, even though he didn't stand out. Shadow turned up the corners of his mouth, just enough for Amy to catch a glimpse of the smile. He gently patted the top of her as if she was little kid before finally heading out the door.

Amy stood there for a second unsure of what to make of the interaction. It was odd but not unwelcome. She brushed it off before heading over to the boy that has been plaguing her mind for the past few hours.

Tails spotted Amy first. Before he could alert his best friend of her presence, Amy held up a finger to her lips, telling him to not give her away. She slowly edged her way closer to Sonic. Amy slowly raised her hands up to the back of his shoulders, ready to nudge him scared.

Before Amy could go through with it, she felt a sudden firm grip on her wrist. Her eyes widened when she found herself face to face with Sonic. He had spun around so fast Amy barely even witnessed his reflexes.

Sonic triumphantly smirked down at Amy. His eyes briefly traveled down to look over her outfit. She had on a loose white blouse that tucked into maroon shorts. Her black socks snuggly hugged onto her thighs and blended into her boots down at her ankles.

When Sonic returned to Amy's face he saw that she was red in the face. Her eyes were wide in shock as they both came to a realization; Sonic had just checked Amy out.

Tails cleared his throat, hoping to save them from any further embarrassment. Sonic used the queue to let go of Amy's arm, his hand wavered in the air before dropping to his side. She could feel a tingle left in the ghost of his grip. "I'm glad that you guys could make it." She tried her best to ignore any feelings that hinted to being beyond friendly. Remembering her pep-talk in the bathroom, Amy had to keep things light and casual.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world." Sonic found himself half yelling to make himself audible in the crowd. Amy asked the two for drink requests, having to repeat herself a few times before they could decipher her question. After filling up their cups, the trio drifted into the backyard where they could breathe the fresh air and hear one another without the need for screaming.

….

The front door swung open with a sudden force that left an indent on the wall. A few cracks were heard splitting along the wall. Flocks of teenagers gathered around the front cautiously took a few steps away from the intrusion. Cream jumped in shock, putting a halt to her conversation.

"You have got to be kidding me," Rouge muttered into her cup.

Scourge strolled through the doorway with a smirk on his face. Two birds looking just as pleasant followed him in.

Rouge leaned down to Cream's ear, nudging her with her elbow. "Say something." Her eyes darted from the smaller bunny to the more intimidating hedgehog.

Cream's eyes almost popped out of her head. "Are you kidding me?" She frantically looked between Rouge and Scourge. She was used to seeing him hanging around school (more or less), but never would she ever imagine standing up to him. "If he looks at me the wrong way I'll pass out."

Rouge rolled her eyes, not seeing the threat. "This is your house." When Cream didn't respond further than a shake of her head, Rouge decided to take the matter into her own hands. She broke through the crowd before Scourge could make his way further into the house. With an exhausted sigh she stuck her hip out and and tilted her head to the side.

"I don't recall that you were ever invited."

Scourge openly eyed Rouge up and down. She had an effect on almost all boys and he was no exception. His eyes lingered around the curve of her chest. He barely looked at her face as he responded, "I thought everyone was invited."

Rouge crossed her arms over her chest, "There are some exceptions."

Scourge scoffed. "I just want to say 'hi' to a few friends and you aren't one of them." He leaned in close enough to her face to make her cringe backwards in disgust, "But if you want feel free to meet me in the upstairs bedroom in five."

Rouge glared in his wake. Her shoulder lurched forward, causing her drink to spill across her shoes. She cursed as his friends roughly nudged her.

The trio pushed unsuspecting teenagers out of their way. Some of the party goers stumbled over, but laughed it off as they messily tried to pick themselves up. One of those drunken teens happened to be Knuckles, who was having the time of his life.

….

"You guys really are best friends." Amy sat on the bottom stair leading down from the back porch of the house. She shared the step with Sonic as Tails remained perched further up between the two. She was currently occupied with many stories shared between the two about their past adventures. The party was almost forgotten with only the muffled sounds coming from inside to serve as a reminder.

Sonic brought Tails down into a headlock and rubbed the top of his fur. "Yeah he really is my little brother," he teased as the smaller fox tried to push him away.

Amy admired the bond that the two shared, thinking about her own friendship with Cream. Although the two girls never got into as much trouble as Sonic and Tails had, they still saved each others backs on a daily basis. She knew Cream was a lifelong friend when the boundaries between friendship and family blurred. Not knowing any of her blood relatives left Amy to make her own family.

"You do embarrass me like an older brother," Tails grumbled as he moved his hands to brush down his fur.

"That's what family is meant to do," Amy added, not thinking about the irony that none of them actually lived with any family. "Cream is practically a sister to me."

"Speaking of Cream," Sonic casted Tails a sly grin, "you barely said 'hi' to her. Why are you sitting out here with us and not inside talking to her?"

Amy laughed when he visibly stiffened. Tails buried his face in his hands as he tried to hide his embarrassment. "She is my best friend you know," Amy added, "so you better be nice to her."

"What are you implying?" His voice was loud enough in defense to cause a few chaos from a nearby tree to fly away. Amy and Sonic shared a knowing glance. Not liking the silent messages they shared, Tails retorted, "What about you two, huh? The whole pretending to date and all those awkward interactions." Both hedgehogs raised an eyebrow at him, pretending to have no idea what he was hinting to. "Sometimes you two are so uncomfortable with your teenage hormonal tension that I just want to move away."

"Dramatic much?" Sonic cooly responded with the faintest dust of red across his face. On the contrary, Amy felt the air around her suddenly rise. She was trying to avoid the topic at hand of her and Sonic's fake relationship. From what she could see in the dim lighting of the night, Sonic didn't seem bothered by Tails' comment, but she couldn't help the antsy feeling growing in her legs. The use of the words "teenage hormonal tension" were not something she expected.

"Yeah," Tails deadpanned. "You two can pretend all you want but-"

A distant clash from inside was heard. Amy figured it was most likely a vase, even though she had tried to tuck away any fragile objects. "I should probably go check out what that was." Amy stood up and dusted off her shorts.

The two boys followed her as she made her way back inside. The group was hit with a blast of warm air as she opened the door to the kitchen. Amy immediately noticed the shattered bowl and new decorative display of chips spread across the floor.

"I'll go find a broom," Sonic disappeared through the crowd in search for a closet.

Amy then heard a warning from Tails as soon as Sonic disappeared, "Uh oh." She casted him a questionable glance before following his line of sight. Her stomach dropped as she noticed a certain person standing on the other side of the mess.

Scourge, who had been talking it up with a girl, met Amy's glance as if he had known she was going to look at him at that moment. She felt it again: small and insecure. Amy knew that she shouldn't be afraid, but it was easier said than done.

"Amy?" Tails snapped her out of her trance. He brought a hand up to her stiff arm, worried that she was going to flip.

She looked away from Scourge, still feeling his eyes bore into the side of her head. "I know he wasn't invited."

"Don't worry, Sonic will be back any second."

Although Amy hired Sonic to help her, she didn't like how she needed him to feel secure. She jumped off the side of a cliff with a smile on her face yet a jerky teenage boy was able to freeze her in fear without saying a word. At this moment she had to get over her desire for independence and hope that Sonic found a broom already.

And her prayers were answered. "What is that guy doing here?" Sonic stepped up next to Amy with a broom in his hand.

Scourge scoffed when he saw the two now stood together, building up a strong force. The cheerleader he had been chatting up was forgotten as he stepped away from her, not interested about a story of a cartwheel gone wrong. She cut her sentence short and protested for him to come back to no avail.

"Nice to see you two here," he made it obvious to eye Amy, who struggled not to shrink beside Sonic. Amy knew that Scourge wanted to make her insecure. If he was going to leave her alone she had to show him that she was no fun to mess with.

"Wish I could say the same," Sonic quipped. He casually threw one arm across Amy's shoulders, still holding onto the broom in his other hand.

Cream finally made her way over with a glare darting between the green hedgehog and the ground. "You're lucky that wasn't expensive," she grumbled while taking the broom from Sonic's hand.

"I could get it," Sonic tried to insist but was just brushed off by Cream.

"Don't worry about it, just please get him to leave." Cream shuffled her way around the mess and began to clean up the crumbs.

Scourge paid no mind to the brief interaction. "Here's the lovely couple," he sarcastically noted while running his eyes along Sonic's arm. Neither of the hedgehogs said anything in response, their glares speaking enough for them. "I just don't believe this," he gestures between the two.

"What's it gonna take for you to leave us alone?" Sonic tilted his head to the side, looking bored.

"Kiss."

Amy's eyes widened. She could hear Tails faintly laugh over her shoulder. Of course Scourge would say that. "Excuse you?" She scoffed as if the idea of kissing Sonic wasn't causing her stomach to flip. Her shoulders began to burn as she became hyper aware of his arm around her shoulder.

"You heard me."

Sonic snorted, "That's a bit perverted."

"Or maybe you two aren't actually dating. If you were, a simple kiss wouldn't be much."

By now they had an audience. The other party goers began to listen in on the conversation. Amy heard a few kids murmur amongst themselves, trying to figure out what was going on. She didn't like where this conversation was going.

She worked up the courage to look Sonic in the eyes. His green orbs tried to communicate to her. The air around Amy was dense, cutting making it hard the breathe and cutting off her reasonable thoughts.

"You don't think they're actually gonna…" Tails trailed off.

Amy wasn't able to see who he was talking to. She couldn't look anywhere other than at Sonic. It had only been a couple seconds, but enough time passed for a thousand question to fly through her mind. She wished that she could read Sonic's mind.

 _He's not actually going to kiss me, right?_

 _What does that look mean?_

 _What will everyone around us think?_

 _What does he think?_

Sonic straightened Amy out, holding her by the shoulders. "If it's a show they want," he grinned the ever so boyish grin he always wore, "it's a show they got." He cupped her face firmly enough to squish in her cheeks. With Sonic's hastiness, it was half expected to see his face crash up against Amy's. She closed her eyes, feeling her heart race and waiting for impact.

Instead it came slowly. First she felt a small brush- Sonic was hesitating- and then, as if he suddenly decided there was no turning back, her own lips were enveloped in his warmth.

Knuckles, who had been standing next to Tails, whistled at the public display. Other teenagers clapped along with him. Cream's jaw fell through the floor. She couldn't believe her own eyes. Tails had fallen over in shock.

Scourge tsked at the scene before shrugging his shoulders. "Whatever. Have a nice life." He shoved his hands into his pockets and disappeared from where he once came with his partners in tow.

By the time the two broke apart, Scourge had disappeared long gone. Amy didn't know what to do. Both of their eyes were wide and bore into one another.

Tails picked himself off the ground. "Like I said," he clapped a hand on Sonic's shoulder, "'teenage hormonal tension.'"

Sonic shrugged Tails' hand off his shoulder. As the two bantered, his eyes kept darting back to Amy, who was lost in her own world. "Are you okay?"

She finally snapped out of it. "Yeah," she managed. "I mean you didn't have to do that."

"Anything for the greater good," Sonic teased. And just like that, he disappeared to mingle with the rest of the guests at the party. If Amy didn't know any better, she could've sworn that he was trying to get away from her.

Her heart ached, but it wasn't unwelcomed. She knew Sonic couldn't like her, he was just acting as part of an agreement. But Amy was a terrible actor. She liked when Sonic appeared at the party. She liked when Sonic threw his arm around her. She liked the kiss. She liked Sonic. This was real.

She also wondered if Sonic could taste the half washed out alcohol from her mouth.

Cream awkwardly approached her friend with the broom still in her hand. "Amy?" She glanced back over her shoulder where the boys had disappeared. "What exactly was that?"

Amy swallowed a lump down her throat. She self consciously pulled down at the hem of her shorts. "I'm not entirely sure."

"Boys are confusing," Cream deadpanned.

"No," Rouge suddenly came between the two, holding each girl under an arm, "boys are dumb." She nodded her head up to Knuckles, who was standing on the counter trying to juggle discarded cups. "My point exactly."

The three girls giggled amongst themselves, finding entertainment in the drunken display.

Somewhere ten feet over, Sonic was trying to answer himself why exactly he had just kissed Amy. He could at least admit that it was better than fighting Eggman.

* * *

 **I'll try to update sooner but who knows what'll happen.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter is kinda short but it would've been painfully long if I didn't break my writing off here. Well last time I posted I thought I would be posting more often but then months went by and that didn't happen so sorry for that. But this time I'm aiming for getting another chapter up before Thanksgiving break is over! Thanks for reading if you're still following this!**

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Normality was relatively restored when the new school week began. Monday was able to pass in a blur and not once had Sonic brought up the kiss to Amy. She was relieved, but an ache for him to say anything out of the ordinary remained in her chest. Now, halfway through the week, everything on the outside was _too_ normal.

Amy and Cream sat side by side in the cafeteria. The pink hedgehog felt sick looking into the mystery meat of lunch. She envied her friend's fresh, homemade meal prepped for her.

Cream giggled when she noticed Amy eyeing her lunch box. "Don't worry, my mom made you a sandwich too." She neatly set out the more appealing food.

A silence was drawn between the two as Amy thoughtfully chewed to herself. Her mind drifted far away from the lunchroom. She didn't notice the way Cream eyed her with a worried frown. It was obvious what was plaguing her mind.

"You know," Cream snapped Amy back into focus, "we never really talked about what happened last Friday."

Amy groaned and buried her head into her hands. Every time the rabbit brought up the party she was struck with an uncomfortable surge of embarrassment. "What is there to talk about?"

"Well for starters you and Sonic made out."

"That's a little much, we just kissed."

"I saw some tongue."

Cream giggled at Amy's reaction. Her cheeks puffed out before hastily taking a bite of her sandwich. She tried not to over think how the kissed had looked to the bystanders or the idea of _tongue_.

"I just don't get it." Amy felt torn in her emotions. Her heart soared whenever she saw Sonic, but he made it obvious from the start that their relationship was just friend. That was the case until the past weekend. Sonic made the first move but was it all just acting? Amy knew that she wasn't completely faking it.

"First he kisses me," she continued, "then he avoided me for the rest of the weekend, and now he's acting like nothing happened. He's sticking to his usual behavior and I hate it."

"Sounds like someone has a crush," Cream smiled. She bumped their shoulders, trying to rise a giggle out of Amy.

The pink hedgehog managed a small smile, "Yeah, I think I do."

"And you know what?" Cream added with a new optimism. "I think Sonic likes you too."

Amy rolled her eyes. "I doubt that."

"Hear me out," Cream dismissed the pessimism, "Tails and I had talked a bit before about Sonic. He told me that Sonic's never kissed a client. If that's true, then why would Sonic be so willing to kiss you?"

Amy thoughtfully chewed the inside of her cheek. "You do have a point," she admitted. It was Sonic who had grabbed her face. She wasn't sure who had leaned in first, but Amy wouldn't have kissed him if he didn't give her the signals. Before that moment Amy tried denying her feelings; it was the kiss that made her realize her own feelings with a new clarity. She wondered if Sonic had any of his own revelations.

"You're right," she nodded more certainty. "I'll ask Sonic if he feels the same."

"If I feel the same about what?"

The two girls froze with the same panicked look. Amy had inspiration to quickly bring up a different topic, "About the cafeteria food." She poked the brown much in front of her with her fork. She elbowed Cream as a nervous laugh bubbled out of her.

Sonic raised an eyebrow at their antics but brushed it off. "Anyways I was just wondering if Scourge was leaving ya alone now." He took a seat right by Amy, much to her pleasure. "I haven't seen him at all so far this week. I'm just glad to get this whole thing behind us."

Amy's ears twitched, she had to physically concentrate to hold them up. She knew it had to end: the lying, the pretend hand holding and the false sweet words. She did not expect for it to be so soon. She had figured after the kiss Sonic wouldn't have been so eager to quit. Her hope that he shared the same feelings significantly diminished.

With a small turn of events, Amy no longer could ask Sonic how he felt. She wasn't confident now and felt the cafeteria closing in on her. Now it was off the table to ask, or at least for the moment.

She also wasn't ready to let Sonic go. Amy wasn't sure where their friendship would stand after the fake break up. Would they even still be friends? Or would Sonic go his separate way, never to see or think of Amy again? She couldn't have that.

"No," Amy blurted. Both of her friends raised an eyebrow, not understanding her sudden loudness. "I mean," she let out an awkward laugh to buy herself time, "he hasn't. Not completely. It's not as bad as before but he still makes comments towards me and tries to find me between classes."

Sonic frowned. He hadn't walked Amy to her classes as much anymore. Maybe it was his bad to assume Scourge would leave her alone. He had worked with warding off creepy ex boyfriends before, but none of them had been this persistent.

"At least he backed off a bit," Sonic admitted with a sigh, "but I guess we gotta keep pretending for a few days longer."

"I'm sorry Sonic," Amy apologized, unknown to him it was for lying.

He gave her a reassuring smile. "It's not your fault, Ames." But it was. "I never leave a customer dissatisfied. Honor code."

Amy was relieved that Sonic didn't further question her. He trusted her enough to just take her word for it. A pang of guilt jabbed her in the stomach. She hated herself for lying to him.

"I wonder why he won't back off," Sonic was mostly speaking to himself. Deciding it wasn't an urgent matter to dwell on, he hopped up from his chair and began to back away from the girls. "I'm gonna go find Tails, I'll catch you guys later." He gave a small salute and ducked out, not noticing the half wave and remorseful expression on Amy's face.

As soon as Sonic was gone, Cream went in to lecture her friend. "Wait," she skeptically furrowed her eyebrows, "I thought Scourge hasn't said a word to you since last Friday."

Amy's muffled groan could be heard from between her fingers. "Please don't tell Sonic."

"Amy," the rabbit warned.

"Cream," she begged. Her eyes pleaded for her friend's loyalty.

"This is a bad idea."

Amy knew that her actions could potentially backfire. She never wanted to be a liar, but an exception had to be made. What Sonic didn't know won't hurt her. "I know it is. I just need more time with him. Just then, he made it seem like he was more than ready to get rid of me."

"You're exaggerating." Cream didn't understand why Amy was so panicked by their small interaction with Sonic. She knew her best friend tended to be very emotional about situations, but it was clarified from the start that their fake dating wouldn't last forever. "Sonic isn't going to leave you as soon as this whole thing is over, you guys are friends right?" A brief silence hung between the two.

"Just give me more time," Amy restated. "If nothing is better in a week or so I'll fake break up with him."

Cream chewed on the inside of her cheek. There was no way she could win this argument. The second she sighed Amy clapped her hands together, knowing she got her way. "If Sonic finds out and gets mad, don't say I didn't tell you so."

….

Eggman leaned in towards the wide computer screen. His gloved hand unconsciously twisted at the corner of his mustache. He narrowed his eyes looking for anything interesting in the video, "I thought you said you had something interesting for me!"

The robot squirmed, almost leaking oil in his spot, "If you keep watching you'll see! You'll see!" He felt himself ready to melt down into a metal puddle.

"Useless robot," Eggman muttered under his breath. He had the tendency to criticize his own machines, seeing them as dumb hunks of metal, even though they were programmed from his hands.

The mad scientist turned his attention back to the video. The camera zoomed in on the familiar blue hedgehog sitting on porch stairs with his long known fox friend. He also recognized the pink hedgehog that has recently been hanging around the two. "There's your little friend again," he noted into the air.

Shadow remained leaning back against the wall, not even twitching when Eggman brought up Amy. He narrowed his eyes, now focusing on the screen himself. He hadn't realized that the lunatic had upped the spying on Sonic. He was at the party, but missed the robot hovering right outside the house. It was unlike himself to be so unaware of Eggman's rather blunt spying, but at least he wasn't caught hanging around there. That would be another set of questions that he didn't want to bother with.

The trio was seen entering the house before the camera angle adjusted once more. At this point the robot was right outside the window, recording the crowded kitchen full of teenagers. Shadow didn't recognize most of the kids, but he was able to easily spot Sonic and Amy.

A green hedgehog approached the two. There was no audio, but it was clear that Amy didn't like his presence. She stiffened as the other hedgehog's mouth moved.

Shadow suddenly recognized where he had seen the green hedgehog before. The first time Sonic and Amy had met, he was there too. He saw from afar how Sonic stepped in between the two as they were talking in line. Before then, there were only a couple other times he saw the green hedgehog around Amy, every instance her mood shifted for the worse.

"I don't want to watch some stupid, hormone filled party!" Eggman yelled once more at the robot. His joints squeaked as he cowered in fear.

Now that his boss was turned away from the screen, the reason for him showing his footage appeared. "But Dr. Eggman! Look! Look!" He lifted a shaky hand and pointed at the monitor.

Eggman spun his head over, pausing the video in the same instant. He stared in confusion for a brief moment before a satisfied smirk spread across his face. Displayed right in front of him was Sonic planting a kiss right on the pink hedgehog. "You can go now," he snapped at the robot, who clumsily scurried out of the room. "She's a 'nobody,' huh?"

Shadow ignored the arrogant tone. His right eye twitched as he stared at the screen in front of him. At first he was surprised, even letting his eyebrows scale up his forehead. Then, a burning anger settled in his stomach. He was going to be sick.

"Either you lied to me, or you didn't know about this either," Eggman cut the screen and spun around to face the dark hedgehog. "Whatever the answer is, I'll let it slide," he continued. "We finally have a way to one up the blue brat." He rubbed his hands together, already formulating his next move.

"It's not true," Shadow suddenly spoke up. He didn't know where he was trying to go with for his argument. It was unlike him to act without thinking. "I already told you, that girl isn't of any importance. So don't waste your time."

Eggman ignored his weak attempt to reason. "Sorry, Shadow, but the screen says differently."

Shadow impatiently tapped his foot. He didn't have time to negotiate with Eggman, who had already made up his mind. He had his own phone call to make.

"Nothing ever gets to Sonic," Eggman stood up and began pacing around the room, "but this just might. I've tried targeting the mutated fox, Tails, but he's proven to be too smart for his own good." He stopped in his place, grimacing over all the times the little vermin has happily outsmarted him, not that he would ever admit it out loud. "This will be different," he continued, "Sonic will be caught off guard if I steal his defenseless little girlfriend. I could really have the advantage here."

"I wouldn't advise that," Shadow had to think fast. How could he stop Eggman without angering the delusional scientist? This was the one thing he did not want happening.

Eggman rolled his eyes. "I know you liked to have your little study sessions with her, but you are above her." He stopped in front of Shadow. Being significantly taller, he had to turn his head all the way down to look at the hedgehog. His hand clamped down onto his shoulder, as a father would when giving advice to his son. "Besides, I won't spill any unnecessary blood. That'll be a mess I'll have to make more robots to clean up." He darkly chuckled before sitting down back at his computer, plotting away.

"I'm serious, Eggman," Shadow found his voice to speak up, "I don't want her hurt."

The doctor grumbled in annoyance, "As long as Sonic is there, he is the only one who will be getting hurt."

Shadow quickly ducked out of the room when his opportunity arose. He moved down as many long hallways needed to separate him and Eggman.

Of course Sonic wouldn't listen to him. Shadow should have figured it was ignorant hope that he could get that blockhead to reasonably listen to him. The one thing he had asked him to do was to stay away from Amy. It was his best option to keep Amy safe without upsetting Eggman. But then they _had_ to kiss. Shadow wanted to punch the wall, but he knew that would leave an inexplicable hole.

He flipped up his wrist and pulled his watch out from underneath his glove. With the press of a singular button he sent out a call. It took no time for the other side to answer. "If I ask you to do something, no questions asked, could you do it for me?" he lowly spoke, making sure nothing else nearby could pick up his voice.

" _If you say the magic word_ ," the other end teased.

"Rouge," Shadow growled, glaring at the device, hoping she could feel his icy stare, "this is urgent. Something came up and now Eggman may be using Amy to get to Sonic. When I need you to, keep Amy away from him. Got it?"

The bat clicked her tongue, " _So demanding._ "

"Rouge…"

" _You have nothing to worry about_ ," her voice went up in defensive exasperation, " _she is in my care._ "

Once he had his confirmation, Shadow hung up. He let his weight fall onto the wall, pinching the bridge of his nose. A headache was coming on and he blamed a certain blue hedgehog for it.


	8. Chapter 8

**Wow I actually didn't take forever to upload. Writing this was kind of hard. While there was purpose to this chapter, a lot of it felt like filler. Despite that, I'm really excited to finish up and post the next chapter so hopefully that gets out before the end of the year! Thanks for all of the support so far!**

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"You want to- what?" Amy was walking alongside Tails from her last class. Her hands clasped over the straps of her backpack, helping to support the weight of all of her textbooks.

"Cave exploring," he repeated. "Simply put, my energy detector has been picking up a signal about an hour outside of the city. I traced it to a cave that many tourists are known to visit, but if we stray away from the usual path maybe we'll find something."

The idea of an adventure excited Amy. She wondered if she would get the same thrill she previously had when she jumped off a cliff and Sonic had caught her. "I'm down to find 'something.' Who else is going?"

Tails feigned being hurt, "Is my company not enough?" He placed his hand over his heart, to show how deeply he was pained. The two stepped outside and off to the side, avoiding the flow of students as everyone dispersed for the evening.

Amy quirked her eyebrow, "It's not that. It's more so that you would probably ask Sonic before you ask me." She figured that his long time friend would be more useful, considering that the two had already done many adventures themselves.

"Yeah, he's coming too."

It had been a week since Amy and Sonic had kissed. Since then, neither of the hedgehogs brought it up. Between their walks to class, she knew there was no way she could mention it to him, but she couldn't help wishing that he would say something. She realistically knew that she wouldn't be getting any type of confession. If only she could see the blue hedgehog fumble over his words or get embarrassed rather than constantly being cool and collected.

Cream had spent a couple days trying to persuade Amy to be honest about how Scourge had backed off. The rabbit eventually let it going, trusting her friend to make the right decision. Plus, too much time had passed for Amy to easily back out.

"That's cool," Amy tried to brush off the way her heart did flops. Beneath that, there was a small pang of guilt settling in her gut.

Tails eyed her, seeing the way that her gaze now went over his head rather than meeting with his own. "There's nothing weird going on between you two, is there?"

"Weird?" Amy scoffed. "Nope we're as friendly as ever. Just two platonic peas in a pod. Two muchachos hanging out and all." She laughed a bit, despite not actually saying a joke.

"Right," Tails dragged out, not buying it. "I know you guys are doing your fake dating thing, but I do remember two very real lips kissing at Cream's party." He had noticed the glances Amy shared with her own best friend whenever him and Sonic came around since the previous weekend. He tried to tease Sonic about it, but his friend would quickly, and rather obviously, dodge the subject. Usually he would poke right back at Tails in their traditional brotherly banter.

Amy half-heartedly glared at him, "If you want to pull that card then should I mention the way you two are always love-sickeningly looking at each other." Although she was joking around, she had a satisfied smirk when his entire face began to glow a bright red.

"Truce?" Tails held out his hand, knowing that this conversation was going nowhere good if they continued down the same path. Amy happily shook his hand, blocking out any kiss from her head. "Anyways, Sonic is coming and I figured that you could come along with Cream so it'll be a group thing. I invited Knuckles but he said he wasn't coming if Rouge was, and Rouge said she wasn't coming without Knuckles so… Yeah, it'll just be us four."

Before Amy could respond, she felt a bump on her shoulder. She stumbled a step forward into Tails, who quickly held a hand out to steady her. Looking over, she saw the backside of Fiona who continued walking ahead as if she hadn't seen the girl at all.

A sickly feeling grew in the pit of her gut. Amy barely spoke to the fox before, but she knew that they weren't on the best terms either way. There was a certain foul-minded hedgehog to blame for that.

"What was that about?" Tails furrowed his eyebrows as his sight followed the retreating figure.

"Who cares?" Amy grumbled. She had long grown tired of Scourge and his crew consistently picking on her. None of them knew why he targeted her, even if they had she believed it wouldn't make a difference.

Amy snapped back into the present before she could let her mind drift. She didn't want to think about the past.

Tails eyed her for a moment. He could tell that there was something going on, but decided not to press on it. Amy liked to talk a lot, if there was something she wasn't saying then it must've been for good reason.

"Anyways," he continued where they had previously left off, "I have to go home and get some things in order, but I figure that you guys can swing by my place and we'll all leave together."

"You drive?" Amy wondered, recalling that Tails never went into the school parking lot where the other students with cars went.

A sly smile made its way across Tails' face, "I fly."

….

Hours later, Amy stepped into the garage along with Cream. The door had been wide open, giving her a clear view of Tails stuffing devices into his bag while Sonic boredly played with a gadget. He slouched on the counter, letting his legs swing like a kid waiting in the doctor's office.

"Hi, guys," Cream smiled at the two boys.

Sonic's head snapped up. A smile spread across his face as his eyes laid on the new arrivals. "Finally," he hopped onto the ground, quickly shaking out his ankles, "now we can leave."

Amy raised a brow at his impatient behavior. "What do you mean 'finally,'" she crossed her arms in offense, "we're here literally at the exact time Tails asked for us to be."

Before Sonic could retort, said fox walked between the two, "And now we can go." He shot Sonic a look that said something along the lines of "be nice."

The blue hedgehog waved his hands in defense while rolling his eyes. He wasn't going to cause too much trouble for his smaller friend. It was originally Tails' idea to go exploring the cave and to invite the girls. Sonic knew, although the other boy was more reluctant to admit it, that he was trying to get closer to Cream. A group outing was a major step for the fox.

Tails quickly settled into the pilot's seat with Cream comfortably in the passenger's behind him. Although her ears allowed her to fly on her own, she still felt a wave of giddiness in her stomach. She had never been in a plane until this moment.

"Really?" Tails craned his neck to try to look back at the rabbit.

Cream nodded her head, "There has never been any reason for me fly far away."

"Well, we aren't really going that far now," Tails chuckled, "this is my baby, I just like to use it whenever I can."

"He'll also take any chance he can to talk about it," Sonic teased from his spot on the wing. He crouched beside the window, one hand on the machine while the other rested behind Amy.

Sonic wanted to run on ahead, but the others thought it would be better for them to stay together as a group. The two hedgehogs then opted to stay on the wing of the plane because of a lack of seating. Cream had been worried about the safety issues but Sonic assured her that he did it all the time. Although it wasn't the same thing as running, the thrill was close enough.

Amy happily took a spot right beside him. Normally she would be scared senseless at the idea of hanging onto a plane, but she had Sonic on her side. He had saved her after jumping off a cliff before. She was also grateful that she went with a pair of shorts today rather than a skirt.

With the flip of a switch Tails started up the engine. A loud hum came from inside the plane, Amy was tempted to let go of her grip and cover her ears. Sonic and Tails shared a thumbs up before he began to roll forward and out of the garage. He pressed another button, causing the entrance to close as the distance grew from his workshop.

Tails stopped for a moment. Him and Sonic shared another thumbs up, signaling it was time for take off.

Sonics gripped the plane and put a firm hold on Amy. Even though he was right next to her, he leaned in and with a loud voice told her, "Hold on tight!" Amy didn't need to be told twice.

Tails pushed the plane forward. At first the acceleration was gradual, but they suddenly found themselves jerked back slightly with the build up of speed. Cream held onto the armrests as her back was pressed into the seat.

Amy felt Sonic's hand squeeze lightly onto her side as she lurched. She firmly gripped onto the wing, hoping the pressure in her hands would take away from the shake in her arms. With the day already warm, his hold on her burned through her clothes.

The plane suddenly smoothed out as the wheels left the ground. Amy stared down as the plants below them seemed to shrink and blend in with the ground. When she looked up, they were just above the treeline, still rising.

Sonic looked out smirking. She briefly glanced at his profile, wondering what could be going on in his mind. She turned her head to look at her friends sitting within the plane. Cream's face was pressed against the other side of the window with a look of wonder as her eyes were glued to being around them.

The flight itself did not last for too long. They landed a short distance from the cave entrance as to not draw attention to themselves.

Amy quickly ran her fingers through her quills, making sure that the wind didn't leave her looking as if she just crawled out of bed.

Sonic easily jumped down from the wing. He stretched, extending his arms high above his head, before shaking out his legs with a content sigh.

The group approached a ticket booth with a crowd of people waiting next to it. A bored teenager sat on a stool, leaning heavily onto the counter. Next to him was a more excitedly looking squirrel. The two resembled each other, both having gray hair and dark eyes with small round faces. They assumed that it was currently a mother and son on duty.

"Oh well aren't you kids cute," the woman gushed as she looked over the four. "I'm Linda and you guys came just in time for your little date. The tour's about to start."

"We actually aren't on a date," Tails corrected, but his comment went completely ignored.

"Lovebirds and tourists usually makes up most of the sales. I guess the locals don't care too much to look at some shiny rocks," Linda laughed to herself. Amy dug through her pocket and fished out enough change to pay for her ticket. She held it out to the woman, but was immediately shut down. "Oh no, missy," the squirrel refused to take the money, "on any proper date, your boyfriend here should pay."

Amy, embarrassed, glanced between the woman and Sonic, who had a hint of a smirk. "Yes, _dear_ ," he mocked, "you should just let me pay." She recognized the glint in his eyes. Sonic was purposely trying to egg her on.

After a hesitated moment, Amy held out the money once more. She tried to suppress her annoyance with the outdated values. While Sonic paying would be nice in the aspect of saving a few bucks, she was also capable of caring for herself. She spoke calmly, "I would let him pay for me, but it's quite unfortunate that he already blew most of his money on lottery tickets." Amy casted a gaze back at Sonic, able to see Cream and Tails snickering over his shoulder. "It really is a shame," she continued, "I have to do whatever it takes to help him stay afloat."

Linda sympathetically smiled with a slow shake of her head. "Oh I feel that honey," she tilted her head in the same direction of a man speaking rather loudly to the distracted tour group, "my husband over there has the same problem. I won't let him near the profits."

They all quickly bought the rest of their tickets, not wanting to go deeper into the squirrel family drama. Sonic also received an obvious glare from Linda, who lectured him on being so young with an addiction. Amy found it rather humorous.

The tour group started to move forward as soon as the four joined the crowd. They remained lurking in the back, not too interested in the historical facts and types of rocks they could see. Besides, Tails already knew more than the guide could give.

When they first entered the cave, the walkway was narrow. Amy and Cream walked side by side with their shoulders occasionally bumping. She figured she could touch the ceiling if she raised her hand and jumped.

Looking up and down the walls, nothing interested the pink hedgehog. It was dark save for the occasional light installed at the top of the ceiling. Many of the tourists had headlamps on their heads, but since there wasn't much to see at the moment few were actually in use.

A chill spread through her, sending goosebumps down her arms. The further they walked into the cave, the more the temperature dropped. Amy's ears twitched, listening to a faint stream in the distance. She shivered once more thinking about how cold the water must be.

Sonic and Tails trailed behind their female companions. The fox had his eyes glued down to the device in his hands. He was pressing several buttons and reading numbers that flashed in the corner of screen for fragments of a second.

Sonic had no idea how the device worked, all he understood was that it was Tails' method for tracking the unidentified energy source. He was impressed that his friend didn't run into the wall. He smirked at the idea of sticking his foot out, but thought better of it.

After a few minutes of walking, the group stepped into a vast room. A few gasps in wonder were barely audible. Amy and Cream couldn't help but let their jaws fall slightly.

The designated path widened, no longer contained by narrowed walls. One side was lined with jagged rocks that reflected sparkles from the lights that lined the way on the other side of their feet.

The source of the stream was now seen. A shallow river curved from another tunnel before branching off again and disappearing behind a large boulder.

Amy was about to follow the tour group that began moving again before she felt a tug on her arm that yanked her back. She almost let out a yelp as she stumbled backwards. With a glare, she looked at her friends that were already hiding behind a rock. They remained in their place until the guide's voice was no longer heard.

Sonic peaked around the corner before signaling to his friends, "Coast is clear."

Amy huffed and lightly elbowed him, "You almost gave me a heart attack."

"You almost left us behind," Sonic countered. He then turned to Tails and Cream, who were both hovered over the device's screen. "So, what's the plan?"

Tails reached into his backpack and pulled out four headlamps. It took Sonic a couple seconds longer to maneuver the strap over his quills and into a comfortable position. They looked around the chamber once more with the newly added light.

"It's saying that the energy source is coming from that way," Tails pointed in the direction where the water disappeared behind the rock. "I guess we should just follow the stream and see where it takes us."

Each easily jumped across the water. Landing on the other side, they were officially straying away from the path. The stream followed down a dark tunnel, the only light now came from their headlamps. The walkway once again narrowed in, causing the group to go in a single file line.

"So Tails," Amy began, "why exactly are we looking for this 'energy source' or whatever?"

"Well," he held up his screen so Amy could look at it over his shoulder, "you see this dot here?" She looked at a pulsing red mark and nodded her head. "The way it is blinking shows that it's not only an unknown source, but also a very strong one. This is pretty important. Since we're kind of in the middle of nowhere, it's not surprising that no one has tracked it yet. It was also really easy to find on my radar."

Cream, who had been listening in from behind Amy nodded her head in understanding. "What do you guys plan to do with it?"

Tails shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not sure yet. The first step it to see if we can collect it. We don't want the energy to get into the wrong hands."

"Like Eggman?" Amy wondered.

"Exactly," Sonic added from the caboose. He had momentarily forgotten that she knew about their arch enemy.

"I guess the hero work never stops, huh?" Cream wondered out loud.

Both Sonic and Tails chuckled at her statement. "I wouldn't really call it 'hero work,'" the blue hedgehog admitted. He still had not gotten used to being referred to as a "hero." The first time anyone had called him such a thing was Amy when she found out about his speed. That time still felt like it was only yesterday.

"It's more we go out and do what we want- and if there happens to be a way where we're one step ahead of an evil scientist then we'll take it," Tails waved his device to emphasize.

"While most teenagers have jobs, we have an old guy to keep in line," Sonic joked.

Amy laughed along, but she let the thought roll around in her head. Before meeting Sonic, she lived in the small world of a high school. The scariest thing to her was not graduating. She figured the same thing was true for all of her friends. It was never imagined that in his free time Tails fought robots along with his best friend more than studying.

Sonic didn't seem to care for school much. Amy noticed that he skipped many classes and never had any books on his person.

Putting it in perspective, she could see why the education system didn't appeal to him. He liked to freely run around and beat up bad guys. It's out of place for him to be sitting in a classroom for half the day.

She further wondered why Tails would go to a high school himself. It was evident that he was already beyond what he was currently being taught.

The rush of the water grew louder and louder. "We're getting closer," Tails pointed at another chamber ahead. The flowing water now rushed faster, turning into a waterfall. Amy held out her arm to prevent Cream from stepping too far and going over the edge. Her eyes opened in shock at the sudden drop before sending Amy a grateful smile.

"It should be somewhere down there," Tails indicated to the bottom of the fall. It was pitchblack save for the spots covered with the beams of light they carried. He and Cream first jumped down, using their flight to help lower themselves. Sonic offered to help Amy, being used to landing from heights much higher than the one they currently stood at. She accepted his offer and hopped on his back. Amy was happy that it was cold in the cave, otherwise she would be overwhelmed with heat.

Once Sonic dropped down, Tails called for his attention. He noticed how the other two were looking up at the ceiling. Following their examples, Sonic and Amy tilted their heads upwards. First, they noticed several small streaks of green glowing in the darkness. As their lights shone over it, they saw it was a colony of black and green chaos holding onto the stalactites.

Amy, momentarily distracted from the fact that she was still holding onto Sonic, cooed over their cuteness.

He winced a bit, "Would you mind not doing that right into my ear?" Amy hopped off, feeling the chill on her arms where his skin once made contact. All four of them did a slow three-sixty, taking in their surroundings. The walls glistened under the light. If Amy hadn't known better, she would've sworn that the cave was full of thousands of tiny diamonds.

"Okay guys," Tails brought their attention back to him, "the tracker says we're right on top of the source. That means that it's probably in this cavern, somewhere."

"We could probably find it faster if we split up," Cream suggested.

Amy and Sonic shared a knowing look before turning to the other two. "What a great idea," she exaggerated. She took Cream by the arm and gently nudged her towards Tails. "You two could look at the half while Sonic and I cover over here."

"Okay," Tails slowly agreed, raising an eyebrow at her strange behavior.

"How will we know when we found it?"

"Whatever it is…" Sonic added, gesturing a circular motion with his hand.

"It'll look out of place," Tails shrugged. "If you think you found it call me over and I'll hold this tracker up to it. If it goes off then that means we found it."

"Sounds easy enough." The pairs split up. Amy and Sonic were quick to give their friends space. They began their search underneath the waterfall.

….

Cream and Tails walked along side by side. The second the hedgehogs were out of their line of sight, their hands naturally interlinked, as if it was no big deal.

"Amy thinks she was doing us a favor," Cream giggled.

Tails chuckled along with her as he looked along the walls. "I did try to make this a date, but Sonic kind of invited himself after he heard us talking on the phone." He stopped walking for a moment, casting Cream a sly look. "Nice idea inviting Amy, by the way. She's the perfect distraction for Sonic."

She wholeheartedly agreed, "She's my best friend, and I feel bad for not telling her about us, but I already get enough teasing from her."

"Trust me I get the same thing from Sonic." Tails affectionately nudged his girlfriend's shoulder with his own. "They'll eventually figure us out. Right now they think we're being all awkward around one another just because that's how they're behaving with each other with their whole fake dating thing."

"Right…" Cream couldn't bring up that Scourge was no longer bothering Amy. She couldn't break her code of honor to Amy, although it was tempting. She had a foreboding feeling that the more this was dragged out, the bigger it'll blow up.

….

"I feel like we've look at every single rock in this place," Sonic groaned.

"It's probably buried under something," Amy thoughtfully looked at a boulder cemented to the ground.

Sonic whined once more. It had been some time past his designated evening nap, he wasn't expecting the search to take this long. "This'll take forever then. I wish it would just fall right into my hands." A moment of silence passed between the two. He didn't move save for his eyes occasionally darting side to side. "I wasn't expecting anything to happen, but I was hoping that would work anyways."

Amy rolled her eyes at his antics, "It was a nice try."

Sonic boredly kicked a pebble. He watched it skip before plopping into the stream. In the reflection below the water surface, he noticed a small glow that matched the green from the chaos sleeping above them. He walked closer, not thinking to check the water before. Amy followed suit, not understanding what caught his eye until she stood at the edge of the water.

"This surely looks 'out of place,'" Amy mused. They could clearly see a green emerald shining under their light.

"Reach for it," Sonic suggested.

"Me?" Amy offendedly questioned. She knew the water, although shallow, was freezing. "You saw it first, you should have the honors."

"Ladies first."

"Go ahead then."

Sonic narrowed his eyes at her hard stare before giving in. Sucking in his breath, he darted his hand in and grabbed onto the gem as fast as possible. He moved in a flash, quickly tossing the emerald into his other hand while shaking out the soaked one. Amy let out an embarrassing squeak as water droplets fell onto her bare skin. Sonic laughed and began to intentionally do so, ignoring her protests.

Tails and Cream, who had heard her yell from afar, emerged from behind a boulder on the other side of the stream. "What's going on?" The two quickly disconnected their hands before they were noticed. Neither of their friends saw, being too preoccupied with one another.

Sonic tossed the newfound object from hand to hand. "Found this in the water. Could it be what we we're looking for?"

Tails held out his tracker. Sonic then met it with the emerald over the stream. The second they touched, the gadget made a rapid, high pitched beeping noise. "That's our answer," Tails confirmed.

"What's so special about it?" Amy wondered out loud. "It looks like a normal emerald to me."

As if triggered by her words, the cave around them began to shake. The chaos that were sleeping woke up and swarmed out of the cavern in a worry. Their headlamps flickered before completely shutting off. They weren't left completely alone in the shadows. A soft glow from within the emerald grew to a burning light, illuminating the entire room.

As fast as it started, everything went still and dark.

After a moment of confused silence, their headlamps turned back on. The group exchanged glances, trying to understand what just happened.

Amy was the first to speak up. "What what that?" Everyone turned to Sonic who was still holding onto the emerald.

"Don't look at me, he's the scientist."

Tails scratched the back of his head. "I'm not entirely sure, but that definitely is a strong energy source. I'll have to take it back to my lab and run a few tests."

"Let's get out of here," Amy wrapped her arms around herself, suddenly hyper aware of the cold air.

"Yeah, I'm getting pretty cold," Cream agreed.

….

Amy happily took in what remained of the sun as an orange glow laid across her face. The group had back tracked and emerged from the entrance. Only a small fence, easy to hop, remained in their way. They assumed no one noticed that they were gone as the ticket booth was closed up. The air around them was quiet save for the afternoon breeze.

Tails and Cream easily settled in the airplane. Sonic remained on the ground, stretching out his legs. "As much as I admire your piloting skills, I think I'm gonna stick to running this time."

Amy, who was standing underneath the wing, lit up at the opportunity that presented itself before her. "Can I come with?" Her hopeful eyes glistened in the sun rays.

Sonic, missing the extent of her excitement, nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders, "Sure, I don't see why not."

Amy and Sonic backed up as the Tornado fired up. Tails gave Sonic a thumbs up, which he returned, as Cream waved a goodbye. They watched as the plane disappeared into the sky, knowing fully well Sonic could bypass it in a few seconds.

Now alone, the two turned to face one another. "So," Sonic drew out after a beat, "do you wanna go home or hang for a little while?"

Amy had to ignore the way her heart began to beat. He just wanted to spend time together as friends… No big deal.

"You mean you aren't tired of me?" she teased.

"The night is still young, Ames."

Sonic was half prepared for Amy to suddenly jump into his arms. With his quick reflexes he caught her with a hand under her knees and another supporting her back.

"So where do you wanna go?" Sonic quickly adjusted her weight to make her feel more secure.

Amy thoughtfully hummed for a second. "Somewhere with a nice view?" she suggested with a shrug, knowing fully well that he could easily list a hundred places.

"You got it!" Sonic took off, leaving a streak in his wake. Amy gasped, hugging onto him for dear life with a big grin plastered across her face.


	9. Chapter 9

**Yikes my chapters have been really short lately. When I divided up the plot into chapters I really thought that they would be more even. This chapter isn't too short, but my next chapter will definitely be longer. Thank you all for your support so far and I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

Fiona groaned as she buried her head in her hands. "No matter what I do, Scourge won't notice me." She brushed her bangs out of her face and straightened up to regain her composure. She flattened out her shirt and brushed off her skinny leather pants before taking a sip of her smoothy and turning to her friend. "What about you, Sal? How has your love life been?"

A small smiled played at her lips as she fondly stirred her drink. "Ken and I have been great," Sally admitted, although she felt bad for bragging about her boyfriend in front of her hurting friend. "Ever since we got together we can't be kept apart. I miss him when I wake up in the morning."

"Aww!" Fiona squealed while clapping her hands together. "I'm so happy for you two," she gushed, expressing genuine joy for her friend. "Although," she suddenly added as a faint memory came to mind, "I heard that you were dating a hedgehog right before you and Ken started going out. What ever happened to that guy?"

Sally let out an awkward laugh as she blushed from embarrassment. She tucked a strand of her wavy hair behind her ear while her eyes darted around them. "If I tell you something," she began to whisper as if someone was listening in, "you _can't_ tell anyone."

Fiona leaned in closer to her friend. She pretended to zip her lips up, letting Sally know she would never expose her.

"Okay," Sally continued after hesitating, "me and that other guy were all a lie." Fiona raised her eyebrow not understand what she was getting at. "We weren't actually dating. I hired him to pretend to be my boyfriend just to make Ken jealous. I haven't even told Ken this."

"All it took was for another guy to get him to come crawling to you?" Fiona wondered aloud.

Sally couldn't help but chuckle at her choice of words. She shrugged her shoulders, embarrassed but still continuing with the topic at hand. "He held my hand and said nice things to me loud enough for Ken to hear. He's cute too, I almost fell in love with the guy I swear." She of course was only joking, keeping her eyes on her best friend.

"Maybe I need a fake boyfriend to get Scourge to want to date me," Fiona snorted while sipping on her drink.

Sally instantly whipped out her phone. "You're in luck," she went on to press a few buttons, "I still have his number."

Fiona furrowed her eyebrows. She had been trying for the longest time to get Scourge to be at her feet. He easily turned his charm on for every other girl at school, but she only felt like a second thought. Her blood boiled at the thought of how much the pink rat caught his attention. Amy wasn't even that pretty. Despite all of that, she felt rather pathetic to consider hiring a fake boyfriend.

"I'm not sure, Sal," Fiona sighed at the other continued to look through her phone. "If Scourge really liked me, then why wouldn't he just tell me? Instead he's always chasing after all these other girls."

Sally rolled her eyes. "Of course he wouldn't. He's a player. He'll get with every girl except the one that really matters to him. Haven't you seen any of the movies?" Fiona opened her mouth to retort, but was abruptly cut off with a hand waving in her face. "Shush now," Sally flipped her phone over.

Fiona squinted at the screen in front of her. Her eyes suddenly widened as she read over the name. Sonic. There was only one Sonic she had ever known: _The_ Sonic the Hedgehog. She had not talked to him much before, but started to see him around a lot once he started dating Amy.

"You should give him a call, he's actually really nice," Sally had went on, not noticing the change. Fiona did not answer, instead staring at the number displayed in front of her. "What is it?" she wondered, raising an eyebrow at the calculating expression.

"Sonic," Fiona drew out the name, "is he a blue fellow? Hedgehog? Green eyes?" Sally lowered her phone, slowly nodding her head with a suspicious gaze. "I know that kid," she smirked. "He actually goes to my school. If my memory serves me right, he randomly started dating this other girl there as well."

Sally did not like the look that Fiona held. "Please keep it a secret," she found herself begging. "Sonic had mentioned that he never dated anyone at his own school before. Maybe she was a special case. But he really did not want all of his friends knowing."

Fiona smugly smiled as she whipped out her own phone with the number still fresh in her mind. "I'm not gonna do anything too bad," she unconvincingly tried to reassure Sally. "The girl I mentioned before has really been getting on my nerve. And like I said, I want Scourge to finally ask me out. I see this as killing two birds with one stone."

Sally could feel a rock grow in the pit of her stomach. She chewed on her bottom lip, feeling as if she had just made a grave mistake. "This isn't supposed to get out, Fiona. I don't know what you have against him, but I need you to keep this a secret."

"Oh, I will," Fiona tactfully left out the other half of her intentions.

….

Amy grimaced at the scene across the table. She could barely manage to sip on her own shake while watching Sonic dive into his food. Both were sitting on an outside patio of a classic styled restaurant in town. He took the liberty of ordering a chili dog and a chocolate milkshake for himself. It wasn't long until he decided to experiment with his food by pouring some of the cold treat over his chili dog through the straw.

"You should really try it," he offered, holding out the milkshake covered chili dog to Amy. She scrunched her nose and pushed his hand away.

"Not even if you pay me."

It was a boring day for the two. Tails and Cream had both conveniently been too busy to hang out. Amy was planning on just reading around the house until Sonic showed up to her front door, claiming if he wasn't accompanied to get food he was going to die on the spot. She found his dramatic act more charming than annoying.

Sonic suddenly squinted his eyes over Amy's shoulder. He recognized a white figure in the distance, quickly approaching their table. "It that Rouge?" She spun around in her seat to catch a glimpse of what he was looking at. To her disappointment, the bat was nowhere to be seen. Her head briefly covered his view, when she turned back, the figure was gone. "I swear I just saw her," he mumbled, confused as to how his eyes could betray him.

"And I see you, Blue."

Sonic jumped in his seat. Amy's eyes widened, how could she have missed Rouge, who was now standing over his shoulder.

He leaned slightly over the table and held up his hand to block out his voice, "Is it too late to hide?"

Amy rolled her eyes before brightly smiling at her other friend. "Hey, Rouge, what's up?"

"I'm sorry to interrupt your little date," she flicked her hair over her shoulder while making her way towards Amy's side. "I need to steal you, it's kind of an emergency."

"What kind of emergency?" Sonic raised an eyebrow.

"A _girl_ emergency."

"Sexist much?"

Amy broke the two up before they began to bother the other customers around them. "Why me?" she wondered, never having been Rouge's source of comfort before.

"Well…" she looked back and forth between the two hedgehogs, as if she hadn't known the answer herself. "It doesn't matter," she quickly cut herself off. She grabbed Amy by the arm and began pulling her from the tables. Begin caught off guard, she shot a look behind her as she got dragged away, leaving behind Sonic who only shrugged before finishing off his chili dog.

Once the two rounded the corner, Rouge's phone rung over Amy's persistent questioning. She quickly pulled it out of her pocket and answered before the second ring was completed.

"Hello?"

Amy heard a muffled voice on the other end, but couldn't decipher a word that was said. Rouge took a few steps away to distance herself as the conversation continued. "Yeah she's with me," she spoke in a low voice. "No I don't see Eggman."

" _Keep her occupied. He's planning on making an appearance later today._ "

"Well what am I supposed to do with her?"

" _You should've figured that out before you went and got her._ "

"Shadow-"

" _I have to go._ "

"Don't you dare hang up on me."

The line went dead. Rouge growled lowly, having half the mind to call him back.

"Rouge?" Amy slowly approached her, sensing the tension that was building. "Are you alright?"

She pinched the bridge of her nose, slowly inhaling before letting her breath escape her lungs. She reminded herself that she was doing this for the greater good. Putting on a fake smile, Rouge turned around to face Amy. "Everything is fine. Just some burden I had to get rid of."

"Okay..?" she drew out, not understanding what was going on. "What was this 'girl emergency' you spoke of?"

"Oh," Rouge slyly smiled over at her, deciding that hanging out with Amy wouldn't be painful. "You see I need to retrieve something from Knuckie, but I don't want to talk to him. So I figured you can distract him while I sneak in through the back."

Amy's eyebrows shot up with that. "I don't know if I'm-" her protest was cut off with a yelp as Rouge shot forward, grabbing her by the arm once more. This time, she took off into the air, letting Amy dangle below her, who was hoping for dear life that she didn't slip.

Back at the table, Sonic's own phone went off. Checking, he did not recognize the caller ID displayed but decided to answer anyways. "Hello?"

" _Is this Sonic the Hedgehog_?"

The voice was feminine, but also had a deep, husky edge to it. "Who's asking?"

" _I hear you like to play boyfriend. I'm interested. I need your help but I have a really tight schedule._ "

Sonic thought about whether or not he should be taking the call. He had been working with Amy for awhile by now. She wasn't even paying him, he had done it out of the kindness of his own heart. Things overall have seemed to cool down with Scourge, he could feel their pact coming to an end any day now. From there he wasn't sure if much would change between them, just less touching if anything.

"I'm pretty flexible."

" _Could we possibly meet now? I would like to talk before my evening arrangements._ "

Not thinking twice, Sonic agreed. He needed the extra cash, not that he was too low now. A safety cushion was nice to have in case he over uses his food funds. His wallet could barely keep up with the appetite of a teenage boy.

As soon as the other line went dead, Sonic hopped up from his seat. He stretched before dropping a tip on the table.

A distant scream caused him to snap his head up. Sonic narrowed his eyes as he saw pedestrians abandon the sidewalks, hiding in the many different stores along the strip. Looking up, Eggman hovered over the street in a metal half-sphere. The man laughed maniacally while twisting the edge of his mustache. A few smaller robots then flew out from behind the scientist, hovering halfway between him and the ground.

"Eggman," Sonic groaned, more annoyed than concerned. He was enjoying his time of peace while it lasted.

Eggman's laughter suddenly stopped as he inspected Sonic. He leaned in closer, causing his hovering machine to tilt a bit, while adjusting his glasses. "There's only one of you!" he exclaimed. "Where's the pink girl?" He pressed several buttons along his console to go through images he had been previously looking at. "I swear I had just seen her here."

Sonic raised an eyebrow. He barely picked up on what the other man had said. "Wait," he accusingly pointed a hand at Eggman, "are you spying on me?" His question went ignored, leaving Sonic to guess the answer for himself. He narrowed his eyes at the robots below, noting the rather obvious camera lens that took up most of their centers. "You're such a pervert, Eggbrain," he teased.

Eggman's mouth dropped open. He huffed, taking the name calling to offense. "Why you little rat!"

Sonic didn't see much of a threat. He decided to get this run in over quick, knowing that he had somewhere to be soon. He jumped up from the ground, projecting towards one of the robots who remained motionless. He bounced from machinery to machinery, letting them drop to the ground as he went along.

In the matter of seconds, Eggman's minions were busted. Sonic contently sighed while dusting off his hands. "Now that that's out of the way," he gave one final salute, "see ya around you ol' creep." Eggman was left behind fuming over his attitude, despite how fondly his final words seemed to be.

….

"So you just want me to go up and knock? Out of nowhere? And strike up a conversation?"

"Right on target."

Amy groaned. She wrapped her arms around herself, hoping to be able to make herself small enough to disappear. "What do you even need to get?" she wondered.

Rouge ignored the question, having been asked it over a dozen times already. She couldn't make up anything important enough for Amy on the spot, so she decided to leave it as a surprise. "Just keep him talking until I give you the signal." The two girls began to walk up to the front.

Rouge reached forward to control the slight fluff Amy's quills now had from the wind. She began to self-consciously flatten it down herself, only to have her own hands swatted away. Rouge decided that she preferred Amy's quills a bit more messy, it gave her look more volume.

"We have a signal?" Amy had no recollection of being told about such a thing before. Rouge didn't nod her head. She quickly knocked on the door before ducking away and disappearing around the house. Amy was barely able to protest before the door swung open.

Knuckles stood before her, looking more drained than ever. Even though he answered rather quickly, Amy would have figured he was just taking a nap. His t-shirt was wrinkled, only halfway tucked in and loose around the neck. His red locks weren't any better, waving over his shoulders rather than keeping their straight point. Amy was not used to this site other than him being a clumsy drunk at Cream's party. As far as she knew, he was completely sober.

"Amy Rose?" Knuckles peered at her.

Over his shoulder, Amy could see a window slide open. One leg swooped in before Rouge's entire being came through. She gave a smirk and a wink before silently crossing the room and disappearing from her sight. She couldn't help but feel admiration for her stealth.

Noticing her zone out for a moment, Knuckles began to turn his head around. In a panic, Amy began to speak, hoping her public speaking class taught her how to ramble well enough. "Knuckles, hi!" She inwardly cringed when hearing how enthusiastic her voice sounded. "How are you?"

He let his weight fall against the door frame while crossing his arms. "I'm alright." Knuckles voice was skeptical. "Not that I hate seeing you or anything, but what exactly are you doing here? You've never come to my house before. I didn't even know you knew where I lived."

He had a valid point. Amy _didn't_ know where he lived until Rouge dragged her here. "You got me," she sighed as a brilliant idea struck her. "I do have a purpose for being here."

"Really?"

She nodded her head and checked her surroundings, as if she was making sure that no one was listening on. "Well you see," Amy slowly began, "there's someone who kinda likes you. She doesn't know how to tell you so she sent me instead. I'm here to butter you up and all. Find out what you like and maybe if you like her too."

 _Take that, Rouge_. Amy bitterly thought. This was her payback for having a perfectly fine day interrupted.

Knuckles stared at Amy for a long moment. As his eyes looked over her, Rouge was already back to the window, ready to sneak out. She sat along the sill, watching the two with amusement.

The longer he stayed silent, just staring, the more she felt her cheeks burn. Was he checking her out!

Finally, Knuckles let out a long sigh. "I'm sorry, Amy. I just don't like you that way."

"What?" she almost screeched, letting her voice crack.

"I mean you're cute and all-"

"I was not talking about me."

"And you have that nice pink thing going on."

"I said 'friend.'"

"But you're dating Sonic-"

"I'm not trying to cheat on anyone."

"And I'm into someone else."

"Knuckles, I am _not_ trying to get with you," Amy said with finality. She had to hold her ground, as to not let her revenge plan completely backfire. "I was talking about Rouge. Rouge likes you. Not me."

Amy saw said bat's mouth drop in offense. She raised a challenging brow, daring Rouge to give away her position. She huffed before ducking through the window.

"Rouge likes me?" Knuckles repeated, unsure of what to do with himself.

Having no other purpose to be there, Amy decided now would be a good time for her to bail. "You know what? Forget I said anything," she quickly blurted before running off.

Knuckles called after her, but Amy kept her head forward. She ducked behind a tree the moment she had a chance to hide.

"Hiya," Rouge suddenly popped around the bark.

Amy let out a yelp and shot a hand over her chest with a surge of adrenaline. "You scared me," she scolded.

Rouge rolled her eyes. "So, did you have a nice chat with Knuckie?" Amy could see that she was clearly talking through her teeth. The strain in her voice gave her a small surge of pride. Even if just for the briefest moment, Amy had the upper hand.

"Wasn't as nice of a time as snooping through his house," Amy poked at Rouge. "What did you need to get anyways?"

Rouge smirked in a way that would have made anyone else feel intimidated by her beauty- Amy was used to it by now. From behind her, she revealed a white gemstone, sparkling in all of its glory.

Amy gasped at the beauty of the object. There was no way that this was simply Rouge's. "You stole that didn't you?" She suddenly felt very guilty. She had just helped someone rob a friend. Granted that the relationship between Rouge and Knuckles was already complex, she still knew that this was wrong.

"Don't worry about it," Rouge winked. "Knuckles is always collecting things like this and I'm always taking it."

"What's the point of that?"

Rouge stared into space with a contemplative look on her face. "I guess it's because I like him." No wink, no mischievous smirk, just the vulnerable expression of a girl with a crush. And as soon as it appeared, it was gone. "You'll understand when you're older," she added to tease.

Amy puffed out her cheeks, just wanting to go home after wasting her afternoon.

….

Sonic casually strolled up to the corner he had agreed to meet his possible client. He glanced around, not seeing anyone else loitering in the same manner. He flipped out his phone, checking for any new messages. None were from the mysterious girl, but a short message from Amy cause the corner of his mouth to twitch.

 _I just had the most uncomfortable conversation with Knuckles. Excuse me as I avoid him for the rest of my life._

Sonic began to type back, but was interrupted before he could hit send. A tap on his shoulder caused him to spin around with his quick reflexes.

Before him stood Fiona, smug in all her glory. A playful smile graced her lips. He could see right through it, knowing that she wanted to be anything but friendly. Fiona was too associated with Scourge. He knew that she plotted almost just as much as the green hedgehog.

"Well look who we have here."

Sonic rolled his eyes. "What do you want?" He made a mental note of the voice in the back of his head telling him to run away. Something didn't feel right. It was too much of a coincidence for her to have met him in this spot.

"We have a meeting scheduled, remember?" Fiona held up her phone, showing none other than Sonic's number in her call history. He tried his best not to show any reaction, but couldn't help his eyes from widening.

"I suppose we do," Sonic settled on saying, not sure what else to do. He wasn't used to feeling so awkward or out of place despite being a blue hedgehog that could run at the speed of sound.

Fiona slowly began to circle around Sonic, who followed her with his head. "I know your secret, Sonic the Hedgehog. And it is such an interesting one. I guess this is Amy's secret as well, right?"

Sonic, in need of control over the situation, decided to play it cool. He had to act unbothered. Most things didn't get to him, but it felt like a rock was growing in his stomach. This wasn't a feeling he was used to and he did not like it one bit. "And you know what is meant by 'secret?' Keep it hush-hush, don't tell anyone else type of stuff." He forced a smile and a wink at the end.

"Why bother?" She stopped in front of him, arms crossed over her chest. "Unless there is something else going on? You've been pretending to date Amy for awhile now. Or maybe, you wish it was more than acting."

Sonic didn't like she what she was implying. He knew that he was enjoying Amy's presence now more than he had when they first met. He considered her a good friend, but that was it. Just a friend. He didn't have the time to think about romance. He wasn't even able to think of the last time he had a crush on a girl. The most recent intimate thing he experienced was the kiss he had with his fake girlfriend. Despite all he believed, the kiss burned a memory so powerful in his mind he could still feel the lower half of his face tingle at the thought.

"It's not like that," he finally retorted. "I'm just doing her a favor. We were only doing this whole relationship thing until Scourge, your boyfriend or whatever, left her alone." He narrowed his eyes at Fiona, wondering if she was here on the green monster's behalf.

"We aren't dating," Fiona bit back, making it obvious that he managed to hit a nerve. She took in a deep breath before letting it slowly pass her lips. "Anyways, it doesn't make sense that you guys are still dating then. Scourge hasn't talked to Amy in over a week. He moved on awhile ago, by his standards."

Sonic didn't want to believe Fiona. He had no reason to trust her, especially over someone who had grown to be a good friend. In the end, it made sense.

Sonic thought back to the last time Scourge was discussed between the two. Amy made no indication before that he had finally decided to leave her alone. Despite that, Sonic had not seen him since Cream's party.

If Fiona was telling the truth then that meant one thing: Amy lied.

"Why should I believe you?" Sonic asked, hoping she wouldn't be able to prove her word. He felt anger building deep in his gut. He couldn't think that less than an hour ago he was sitting with Amy, who had been lying to his face.

"You don't have to," Fiona busied herself with her phone, "but right as we speak Scourge is out hooking up with other girls." She flashed him the screen once more, showing a picture with Scourge in the background draping his arm over a raccoon. The two were leaning in, as if something was about to happen.

Sonic didn't answer, trying to process what was going on. He had to think of how he was going to confront Amy. At the same time, he didn't even want to look at her. He felt betrayed. She had convinced him that she was a victim. He felt sorry for her and wanted to help bring her justice. But now all he felt was used and angry.

"I'll make a deal with you," Fiona continued, not caring that his mood was significantly darker.

"What?" his voice came out quick and harsh. He was tired of this conversation. The only thing that called for him now was to run away.

"I want to make Scourge jealous. We keep almost getting together but then another girl comes along and steals him from me. Whenever I talk to any other guys he gets crazy protective. I figured if we started dating then he'll finally be pushed to come to his senses and go out with me."

"Why me?" Sonic gestured to himself, taking a few steps away to allow the distance between them to grow. "You could probably get any other guy to date you easily, for free. So then why hire me?"

Fiona moved forward, narrowing the space their conversation held. "No other guy pisses him off the way you do," she flipped her hair over her shoulder. A flirtatious smile graced her lips before she settled on a more devious look. "And if you don't, I'll tell the whole school about what you do. I could imagine that being pretty humiliating," she added.

Sonic swallowed a lump down his throat. He wished he was back to fighting Eggman. He wouldn't mind letting the tension out of his body through punching a few scraps of metal. "What exactly do you want me to do then?" The question came out more as an accusation. "To everyone else, I'm still dating Amy and am enemies with one of your best friends."

Fiona shrugged as if she hadn't already thought of this. "It's not that complicated. Dump Amy and start dating me. I'll make up a story about how we ran into each other and hit it off."

Sonic began walking backwards. "Fine," he agreed, not appreciating being blackmailed into another relationship.

"We start Monday," Fiona ordered, feeling rather accomplished in herself.

Sonic didn't respond. He rounded the corner of the building and took off as fast as he could. He wasn't going to stop until he found a place where Amy couldn't cloud his thoughts. Unfortunately for him, between his anger and confusion, that peace never came. He ran for hours.


	10. Chapter 10

**Wow I updated pretty fast this time! There's a few more chapters coming up. I know I fell off of this story for a bit but I'm back at it and hope to have it completed within the next few months. Thank you all for your support so far! I really appreciate it! I hope you enjoy and feel free to leave a review!**

* * *

The rest of the weekend was long and slow for Amy. After her fiasco with Rouge, she went home with no plans. Sonic never messaged her back. She wasn't heavily relying on him to respond right away, knowing that he wasn't the most tech savvy person out there. She did begin to wonder what was going on with him when she felt ignored by Sunday evening.

Amy reminded herself that she was just being needy. Cream was too busy to hang all weekend. She already knew half of those plans included Tails. Rouge was not a considerable option after what she was forced to go through. Sonic remained MIA, probably off somewhere running in circles and stuffing his face.

Amy half expected Sonic to run her to school on Monday, something he had occasionally done. He knew that she didn't always like the noisy bus early in the morning. She wasn't going to push her luck and wait around for him. She hopped on the bus.

Not recognizing any friendly faces to sit next to, Amy took an empty booth. She sat her backpack down next to her, reserving the spot for Cream.

She glanced across the aisle, briefly noticing two girls who seemed to have been staring at her. Amy recognized them from one of her classes.

She let her head lean against the window, staring at the world pass by. After running with Sonic, everything seemed slow. Is this what he always felt? As if no one could keep up with his tempo?

Amy didn't know why her thoughts seemed to uncontrollably drift back to the blue hedgehog. She had admitted to herself already that she liked him, but she didn't think she was this obsessed.

Something didn't feel right. Maybe now her guilty conscious was getting to the best of her.

Before Amy knew it, Cream was sitting right beside her. The rabbit didn't even bother to say hi, she leaned in cautiously looking around. "Is it just me or is everyone acting weird?"

Amy furrowed her eyebrows, not noticing until it was brought up. The bus was full of racket as usual, but the seats surrounding the two were much more timid. Friends who usually spent their time gossiping rather loudly were instead whispering while their eyes kept darting in Amy's direction. She couldn't imagine why anyone would be talking about her.

"What's going on?" Amy wondered, the anxious feeling growing in her chest.

Cream shrugged, "I know as much as you do. Although it seems like they could be talking about you."

"Me?" She looked over her friend's shoulder once more, meeting eyes that didn't look away in time. Amy knew one thing forsure: people were looking at her. "I don't know why. I spent most of my weekend at home."

The whispering only seemed to worsen as the two girls stepped off the bus. Amy knew she was exaggerating, but it felt as if everyone stopped and stared as she passed by.

A yellow cat blocked her pathway. Amy knew of the girl, but never spoken to her before. She was seen before talking to Fiona.

"So how does it feel?" The cat batted her eyes with genuine curiosity, no regard to add any context.

Amy and Cream exchanged a look, both wondering what the girl before the could want.

"How does what feel?" Amy crossed her arms over her chest.

"You must be mad! I would be to."

"Mad about what?" Amy's voice came out longer than intended. She knew that for sure got some passersby to eavesdrop into their conversation.

The girl tilted her head, clearly now confused. "Well about the break up of course. Sonic totally ditched you for another girl."

Amy's mouth hung open, at a loss for words. Cream decided to take control of the situation, abandoning her more polite mannerisms for a moment "This isn't a late night show and we don't do interviews," she muttered as she moved around the cat, dragging Amy along with her.

The two made their way to a secluded bathroom at the corner of the school. Amy was first to burst through the door, letting it fling open and hit the wall. Cream gently closed it behind her, locking it in the process. When she turned to face her friend, she saw that she already began pacing around the bathroom.

"He dumped me?" Amy half shouted.

" _Fake_ dumped you," Cream added.

"I didn't even know about it," she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "We agreed that we would discuss it when it would be time to end things. Not tell everyone but me!"

"It really doesn't seem like Sonic," Cream knew that she was mostly speaking to herself at this point. When Amy was truly upset, she went off to her own little world.

"And what did she mean by 'for another girl'? If anything that should make him look bad, not me!"

"Amy!" Cream yelled, grasping her friends attention. Amy stopped her pacing, spinning to face the rabbit with a desperate look in her eyes. "Maybe this is all a misunderstanding. It could just be a rumor that surfaced."

"But why would it? Us dating didn't catch much attention. Why do people care if we're breaking up? And who is this other girl? And why didn't Sonic tell me anything?" Amy couldn't stop herself. The questions all came pouring out.

Cream brought her hands up to rest on Amy's shoulder. It was hard work trying to calm down her emotional friend. "It's clear that we need answers. How about we find someone who can give them?" she reasoned.

Amy knew exactly who Cream was referring to. "I just don't get why Sonic would let this happen. Do you think he could be mad at me?"

"We don't know for sure if it was Sonic. Besides, why would he ever be mad at you?"

Amy knew why he could be mad at her. It was the same thing that had been eating away at her for days.

The morning bell went off, halting their conversations. Cream gazed up, as if she'd find the source of the alarm over their heads. "We'll have to find him during lunchtime," she continued. A pang in her chest shot through her heart when her eyes rested on Amy. It had been years since she last saw her friend so distressed. "Don't worry too much. This is probably just a big misunderstanding."

As much as Cream tried to comfort Amy, her words brought no solitude.

….

The clock ticked slow for Amy. She knew watching the time didn't help it go by any faster. To her relief, no one else had approached her in her classes. It seemed to be business as usual. Maybe her mind was playing tricks on her and nothing was out of the ordinary.

When lunch finally came around, she bolted up from her seat, messily stuffing her books into her bag. Amy tried to push through the crowds that flooded the hallways. It wasn't too hard when everyone seemed to be heading to the cafeteria.

Amy broke away from the flow of students the moment she had the chance. She quickly scanned the cafeteria, not finding the one blue hedgehog she was looking for.

"Amy."

The girl spun around at the call of her name. "Oh, hey, Tails," she forced a smile, not wanting him to see how much she was truly bothered. It didn't seem to work. She could still see the concern in his eyes. "Have you seen Sonic around? I have to talk to him about something." Amy hoped that she didn't have to clarify what "something" was.

"Yeah," Tails motioned with thumbs to the doors that led outside, "he's out in the courtyard." Amy moved to walk out to the doors. He shot his hand out, grabbing her by the arm before she got too far. "Wait! I kinda over heard some people talking about you guys. I didn't realize this was how you guys planned to end things."

"It wasn't," she bit back, immediately feeling bad for taking her mood out on her friend.

"Well, then you really aren't gonna like what you see," he sighed, letting her arm go.

Instead of asking what he meant, Amy decided to head out to see for herself.

Despite the warm air outside, she felt a chill go down her spine. Dark clouds hovered in the distance, threatening to rain later in the day. Not many kids occupied the tables outside, but she quickly recognized an unusual pair seated in the middle.

Amy halted in her tracks, blinking her eyes to see if what was before her true. If Scourge was the person Amy hated most in the world, then Fiona was a close second.

Sonic sat on one end of the bench, lazily leaning against the table. He stared off into the distance with a tired expression and Fiona seemed to be talking his ear off. The fox suddenly whacked his shoulder, forcing his attention to remain on her.

Amy felt the anger course through her. Before she knew what she was doing, her legs marched her over to the table. Halfway through her walk, Sonic's head turned in her direction. He showed no sign of what he could possibly be thinking. There was no relief that she was hoping to find.

Fiona's head followed Sonic's line of sight. She rolled her eyes when she saw the less than pleased hedgehog approaching them.

"Sonic," Amy's eyes darted back and forth between the two in front of her. It wasn't rocket science to notice that she wasn't welcomed among them. Even though she was standing over them, she felt small and wanted to disappear. "Can we talk?"

Sonic stared at her for a long moment before simply answering, "No."

Amy's mouth opened slightly, trying to form words. The pain in her chest distracted her mind too much to form coherent sentences.

"It's okay, babe," Fiona cut in, "if you gotta settle things go ahead." She smirked up at Amy while nudging Sonic.

Amy protectively wrapped her arms around herself, pushing the mental image of ripping Fiona's hand away. She finally realized why she couldn't read Sonic. He held an expression she wasn't used to seeing: anger.

Sonic made it clear that she was the last person he wanted to talk to as he forced himself up from the table. He led the way, not looking back to see if Amy was keeping up with him. They crossed the football field and stood behind the bleachers. Even with complete privacy, he didn't drop his less than pleased demeanor, proving that it wasn't just an act.

He turned around and faced Amy with his arm crossed over his chest. She noted the way he impatiently tapped his foot with an expecting look.

Now that she was presented with the opportunity to speak without filter, she felt herself chickening out.

Sonic let out a long sigh. "What do you want, Amy?" His voice was hard and to the point.

The girl flinched at the tone of his voice. She then felt her own anger resurface. She was the one upset, not Sonic. "What do I want?" she spat. "I want to know why everyone keeps looking at me and whispering about me. Why some random girl asked me how it felt to be ditched by you. And why, of all people, you're sitting with _Fiona_. Of all people you chose her!"

"Here's a solid answer," Sonic responded just as aggressively, "we're done. It's over. I'm onto my next project."

"'Project'?" Amy raised her eyebrows, daring for him to repeat himself. "Is that all I was to you?"

Sonic sighed. Despite how annoyed felt just standing in front of her, a small pang of guilt went as fast as it came. "What did you expect, Amy?" His voice was quieter, empty of his angry energy and any sympathy. "It wasn't going to last. We were fake dating."

"I know it was fake but you could've at least told me!"

"And you could have told me that Scourge started leaving you alone, but you lied about that."

Amy's eyes widened at his revelation. She suddenly felt too hot for her skin. Her mind raced in a panic. She only Cream knew that she lied about Scourge, so how did he find out? She stuttered, trying to think of a creative way to defend herself. The only way to get around this was to deny it, but Amy knew that would only dig a deeper hole. She only wished to bury it with her at the bottom.

Sonic knew she wasn't going to say any more when her gaze locked with the ground. "Why did you lie straight to my face?"

"I don't know," Amy mumbled. She mentally kicked herself for lying once more. She did know. This was a secret that she could not get off her chest, especially now.

He scoffed, "You know why you lied you just aren't telling me."

"There's nothing to tell."

Sonic brushed passed her, muttering low enough for Amy to strain to hear, "You were just using up all my time."

"'All your time'?" she snorted as she turned around to follow him.

Sonic stopped and faced her once again. His left eye was twitching. "This whole time I could've been getting paid and actually helping other people instead of wasting it with you," he threw an accusing hand in the air at her.

Amy narrowed her eyes at him. By this time they were yelling again. Luckily the pair was too far away to catch anyone's attention.

"Are you being serious right now?" she asked rhetorically. She marched right up to him, jabbing a finger in his chest, "Get over yourself! You're just a glorified prostitute."

"Yeah well you-!"

A huge gust of wind stopped whatever words were about to be thrown around, for better or for worse.

….

"I'm guessing you heard what happened."

Cream and Tails walked side by side down the hallway. Other than their hushed tones that echoed, it was silent.

"Honestly, I'm more confused than ever," Tails admitted with a shrug. The two approached the school's skyway with leisure steps.

"Did Sonic mention anything to you about what was going on?" Cream inclined her head.

Tails stopped in the middle of the walkway. He looked out to the skyline, where murky clouds began to zone in. "Not much," he sighed. "I barely saw him over the weekend so I didn't know anything until this morning. And then when I ran into him after hearing some of the rumors all he said was that he's working with Fiona now. He definitely wasn't in a good mood."

Cream frowned. "I think I might know why." Tails casted her a questioning look, prompting her to continue. "A little bit ago Sonic and Amy were talking and Scourge got brought up. When asked if he was leaving her alone yet, she lied and said that he hadn't."

"Was that to get him to continue fake dating her?"

Cream nodded her head, not surprised that Tails hit the nail on the head. "I knew it was a bad idea, but it's so obvious that she likes him."

"I was really cheering them on. I thought forsure Sonic liked her too." Tails turned his attention back out to the stormy weather soon to come.

"But a question still remains."

The two locked eyes, wondering at the same time, "How did Sonic find out?"

….

Sonic protectively swung Amy around to be behind him. He held an arm up in front of her, ignoring the glare he received.

Eggman slowly lowered his hovercraft down. The propeller let the air whip at the hedgehogs.

Amy hands shot down to hold her skirt in place. If she had known that any of this was going to happen, she would have opted for shorts.

"Really, Eggman?" Sonic looked up at the older man with disappointment. "Attacking a sacred place of education? That's low- even for you."

Usually Amy would've chuckled at his taunts, but she couldn't completely shut out her emotions despite the threat in front of her. In the back of her mind she knew everything would be okay with Sonic there.

"Please, you wouldn't know what a textbook looked like if it hit you in the face!" Eggman cried back, easily getting worked up. The man sat back in his seat, regaining his composure before continuing to speak, "I've been studying you, Sonic. To see what really gets under your skin. Clearly head on attacks with lethal weapons isn't enough."

"Oh, yeah?" Sonic challenged. "Are you telling me that those crumby robots weren't the best you got?"

"You'll be wishing they were," Eggman twisted the ends of his mustache. "Like I said, I've been watching you. And whenever I'm able to track you down, _she's_ right there by your side," he pointed to Amy, who spared a confused glance with Sonic before looking back up at the mad scientist.

"I'm also always with Tails," Sonic cooly replied, "what's your point?"

Eggman rolled his eyes, "I'm not dumb, you blue rat. I can tell when there's a gross romance blossoming." The evil scientist leaned forward, mocking the two, "I've seen the hand holding, the hugging, the dates, the kissing…"

Sonic looked back at Amy over his shoulder. He knew she was still mad, and so was he. Neither of their feelings diminished, but the argument was done for now.

She could see the gears turning behind his eyes. For a moment Amy wondered if they could go back to when they stood over the cliff. He showed her the flowers that he kept to himself and she jumped off a cliff for him. She thought that kind of trust could never be broken, but she had shattered it.

For a split second she thought his eyes had softened, like how they had on all of the fake dates, but passed it off she she saw his frown deepen. His look suddenly burned her with his hatred as his left eye twitched. There was no going back.

"You're wrong," Sonic finally yelled up to Eggman, any playful tone he carried was now gone, "I don't like her. If you've been watching me all this time, maybe you would notice that I tend to hang around a lot of girls. It's all temporary fun and games. I was playing with her, Eggbrain. Looks like I fooled you too. She means nothing to me. Just some girl who won't leave me alone."

Eggman and Sonic starred at one another, neither willing to give in. Thunder erupted over their heads before rain suddenly came pouring down.

"I see," Eggman muttered to himself, looking over his enemy's head.

Sonic gazed behind him to see Amy's retreating figure. Part of him wished that she would have yelled at him. He preferred yelling over the distance that was growing between them. She didn't quicken her pace as the rain continued to soak the field. His eyes followed her until she disappeared behind another set of bleachers on the opposite side.

"So what diabolical plan to you have for me to ruin now?" he boredly crossed his arms.

"I might have some rethinking to do," Eggman began to speedily type away at his control panel.

Sonic, not giving him the chance to finish, leapt up to the hovercraft. He easily perched on the edge with a fist raised, ready to strike.

Eggman, in an unexpected turn, cowered before the hedgehog. "No, please," he begged, waving his arms in front of him. "I meant _long term_ rethinking. I don't have anything up my sleeve now!"

"Then why are you here?" Sonic uncharacteristically growled.

"I was here for the girl," Eggman blurted in a nervous sweat, "but if she really is a random girl then taking her would have been as useful as taking any stranger off the streets. I didn't even bring my strongest back up!"

Sonic hopped down from the aircraft, pushing it a bit in the process. "Get lost Eggman, I'm not in the mood." He turned away and began walking towards the school, hoping the pain in his side would take the hint and leave.

The man smirked, knowing that there was more than being let on. "Is this a lovers quarrel I'm getting caught up in?"

Sonic stopped where he stood.

"If I didn't know any better," Eggman continued, "I'd say that you were lying to me just now. That girl did look awfully hurt. Although I do enjoy this nasty side of you. It must've felt good to break her heart. You should've seen the way she started to cry…"

Sonic had enough. He launched himself forward, too fast for the man to even process the fist flying towards his face.

….

Cream noticed that Amy had not yet returned as the final warning bell went off. She figured it would be in her best interest to go out and find her friend. Amy was very well safe if she had found Sonic, but she could also very well be an emotional wreck.

The rabbit sighed to herself. That was one of the issues of being best friends with a hedgehog. They were stubborn and moody, a combination that was hard to tackle.

Cream peeked her head out of the doorway. It wasn't long until she saw Fiona, walking confidently down the hallway. She was about to confidently approach the girl and question her if she had seen Amy, but then she noticed a less than pleasant figure not far behind her.

Cream quickly ducked behind the lockers before she could be spotted. She pressed up as far against the cool metal as she could, holding her breath with hope that they won't notice her.

"You're with that asshole," she heard Scourge laugh in disbelief. "You really downgraded, Fiona."

"From what?" She snarkily retorted, "You weren't my boyfriend before."

They suddenly were passing up Cream. She jumped a bit. Amy didn't fear any one, a quality she wished she had.

Scourge threw his arm across Fiona. "All I'm saying is don't be surprised if that punk gets what's coming to him," he laughed as Fiona shrugged him off of her. He then turned to look over his shoulder, directly at Cream. "Hey, rabbit," he smirked, "say 'hi' to Amy for me."

Cream could only numbly nod her head, frozen in place. It wasn't until they completely disappeared that she was able to return to her classroom.

….

Sonic shook his fist free of the tension that built up. Punching Eggman didn't solve any of his major problems at hand, but it did make him feel better. He stared down at the man who laid on the floor, cradling his bloody nose. It was the exact effect he was hoping to get.

Eggman's whine was too muffled by his hands for him to be understood. Sonic figured it had something to do with his facial appearance and broken nose. "You're fine," he rolled his eyes before hopping down to the wet grass.

Sonic's sneaker slushed through the mud in the downpour, but he was still able to swiftly make it across the field in ease. He took a sharp turn around the bleachers and found where Amy had taken shelter,

Her back was turned towards him as she slouched on a crate. Her sniffling could faintly be heard despite the static of the rain.

Sonic had wanted to hurt her when they were fighting. He was angry and felt used. He did not forget that she had lied to him for whatever reasons she felt justified. But standing there, drenched, made him feel soggy both inside and out.

"Amy," he gave in to his guilt.

"Go away," her voice broke on the last syllable. She inwardly cringed at how obvious her crying was.

Sonic came up behind her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Listen, Amy, I'm sorry. You know I didn't mean-"

She shrugged his hand off her shoulder before standing up. "No, Sonic," she turned around, her puffy eyes piercing his skin, "you listen. Whatever you're doing with Fiona is big mistake."

Sonic couldn't tell if this was a threat or a warning. Before he could ask her what she meant, she continued speaking on her own.

"Taking _another_ girl away from Scourge won't end well for you," Amy held a bitter smile before letting it fade away.

"Why? You guys weren't even dating, so did I really 'take' you from him?"

She sighed, walking around the small space under the bleachers. Her eyes wandered along the metal and out to the now rainy day, looking anywhere but at Sonic. "Scourge and I kind of have a history: not a good one I like to talk about," she sat back down onto the crate. She hugged her knees, wishing she had a blanket to wrap around her. The cool breeze that tainted the warm day sent goosebumps across her skin.

Sonic watched her close her eyes, disappearing into her own thoughts.

"It started a few years ago, during my freshman year," Amy began, feeling a hole in her chest. If there was ever a list of stories she hated, this one would be at the top.

….

Amy stood in the corner of the crowded house. She had made friends earlier with Regina from algebra who, at this point, had long disappeared.

Amy knew it was a mistake to come. Regina had invited her to come along, but the more she thought about it, the more she realized that the was just being nice.

High school for her had only started a month ago. She had yet to form any solid friendships with anyone other than Cream.

A part of her just wished _someone_ would approach her. Then she would be sociable for the rest of the night.

Amy pretending to be interested in the painting on the wall while sipping on water through her red cup. It was barely distinguishable in the dim lighting. It didn't take great vision or expertise to tell that the art was no good. She guessed that it was painted by whoever's house she was in.

After another moment of killing time, and giving in to the thought that her evening was not going to take a turn for the better, she made her way to leave.

Not paying much attention, she turned only to bump right into someone. Before she could even get a good look at him, she went into a spur of apologies.

The boy looked over at her without bothering to turn his head. He leaned back against the wall, sipping through his own plastic cup. He looked bored and uninterested in the party going on before him.

Amy wondered if she had just found a wallflower like herself.

"Don't worry about it," he smiled, flashing white, but sharp, teeth.

"Okay," Amy barely mumbled, kicking herself for not being able to think of anything more to say.

Right before she mustered up the courage to introduce herself, he spoke up first, "What's your name?" Now his head turned to face her. His eyes, although weren't distinguishable by color in the scarce lighting, locked onto her. She found herself liking the new attention presented to her.

"Amy," she smiled while leaning against the wall in a similar manner. "What about you?"

"They call me 'Scourge,'" he then tilted his head slightly closer to her, as if he was about to tell her a secret, "but you can call me whatever you like."

"Okay," Amy blushed, trying to suppress a wide, goofy grin. She wasn't used to guys flirting with her, but she didn't hate it. "So, 'whatever-you-like,' why do you look so bored?" she found herself asking with a newfound courage.

He shrugged while looking down into his cup. "This party is pretty lame. High school parties are a hit or miss, usually being a miss. Once you've been to one, you've been to all, ya know?"

"No I don't," Amy responded with an innocent shake of her head.

Scourge eyed her, looking up and down, "I haven't seen you before, are you a freshman?"

Amy suddenly felt very young standing beside him, realizing that he was probably older than her. For a second she contemplated lying. Most freshmen got made fun of or picked on. They were viewed still as little kids by all the other classes.

"It's cool if you are, I don't care," he shrugged, noticing her hesitation. "Besides, you seem mature for your age."

"You really think so?" a hopeful smiled resurfaced to her face.

"You're definitely better off than those idiots," Scourge motioned to a group of jock looking friends who were chugging down alcohol. Other people stood around them, cheering on the champs until one by one they coughed and gagged, falling out of the competition. The last one standing was a red echidna, pounding a fist into the air at the crowd got louder and louder. When he finally downed the bottle, he looked sick but satisfied with himself as everyone screamed, giving him a congratulatory clap on the shoulder.

Amy giggled at his critic.

The two went back and forth, making small conversation. The party was almost forgotten to Amy, when another hollar erupted, preventing her from being able to hear whatever Scourge had then said.

"What did you say?" she half yelled.

Scourge looked around them, as if he was scanning the area. "Let's go somewhere more quiet," he suggested. He lightly grabbed her hand and led her out of the crowded room before she could even give him a confirmation.

Amy expected them to go outside, it was a nice evening anyways, but he turned away from the door and began heading upstairs. She didn't think anything of it. There were a lot of teenagers also lined around the steps and running down the hallway.

He opened a random door to a bare bedroom. At first she worried that they would be invading someone's personal space, but figured it was a guest bedroom by the lack of any pictures or posters. As he closed the door behind her, Amy checked a drawer just in case. It was empty.

The action of the party now sounded distant. Amy heard a ringing in her ear, serving as an annoying white noise.

The lighting in the room let her finally get a better look at Scourge. She found him to be more handsome than she had expected. His eyes, teal, reflected the light, giving him a cheerful appeal. She had an appreciation for his green fur. Sometimes hedgehogs who aren't brown, blonde or red, like herself, feel as if they stand out too much.

Scourge took a seat at the foot of the bed, leaning back onto his hands. Amy stared at him for a second before taking a seat beside him. There was enough space between them that a breeze from the nearby open window could be felt.

"You seemed to know exactly where you're going," Amy teased with an awkward laugh. She suddenly felt a tension that she hadn't down stairs.

"Now I can actually hear you speak without having my eardrum burst," he shrugged, falling onto his back. He crosses his arms over his face, peeking out at Amy from beneath. "Now that I can see you better, you're pretty cute."

"What is it?" Amy wondered with her face rapidly heating up. "Am I pretty or cute?"

Scourge smirked. He propped himself up to his elbow, reaching out a hand to twist Amy's quill around it. He lightly tugged, trying to hint at her to lay beside him.

She got the message, but turned it down. Amy lightly brushed her quill from his grip, no longer desiring a connection with him. "Maybe I should go," she suggested as she already stood up.

Scourge quickly reached out, grabbing her by the wrist before gently sliding his hand into hers. He gave her a pleading, "Oh come on now. Don't leave me, I just wanna hang out and talk." He sat up and patted the space beside him.

Amy let out a sigh and took her seat again. "Okay," she said, "what did you want to talk about?" She turned her head to face Scourge, jumping a bit in her skin. She suddenly was aware of how close his face was to hers. She could feel his breath and smell the alcohol. She was certain that he had not been drinking water like herself.

She leaned back as he seemed to slowly follow her. Amy's hand shot up when she saw him close his eyes, going in for a move. She felt his lips land clumsily onto the back of it.

Scourge's eyes slowly opened as he pulled back, confused by the outcome. Amy quickly scooted to the edge of the bed, as far away as she could get from him. "What do you think you're doing?" she accusedly questioned him.

"What do you mean?" he frowned, narrowing his eyes at her. "I thought you were having a good time."

"Well we just met and you're already trying to kiss me," Amy bit back. She was starting to see his cool exterior peel away. Suddenly he wasn't so handsome any more.

Scourge scooted over so he was beside her once more. Their sides brushed up against one another. He reached over so his hand was placed on her knee, traveling up her thigh, "You're the one who came into an empty bedroom with me."

"Yeah, to _talk_ ," she half snapped. She grabbed his arm, trying to pull it away but finding that it wouldn't budge.

"Since when do people go into a bedroom at a party just to talk," Scourge smirked. His fingers dug into her leg.

Amy knew his grip wouldn't leave a bruise, but it hurt enough to worry her. Time slowed down around her as he leaned in once more. She felt his other hand sling around to the middle of her back, locking her in place. She could hear muffled laughter coming from right outside of the room. There was a yell shortly followed by a thud. She briefly wondered if the teenagers in the hallway knew what was going on in the plain bedroom.

His breath on her face caused Amy to spring into action. "I said no!" she screamed, not caring to worry about his hearing. The familiar weight of her trust hammer was in her grip at the easy flick of her wrist. She swung as hard as she could, squeezing her eyes shut and missing Scourge's face full of shock.

Amy heard an "oof!" followed by a loud crash and the sizzle of debris. She opened her eyes to find that Scourge was no longer in the room. Instead, he laid out in the hallway, behind the settling dust. He glared up at her through the new hold formed in the wall.

The teenagers that had been sitting right next to where he fell stared for a moment before bursting into laughter. "Don't tell me that Scourge just got his ass beat by some freshman!" one of the guys hollered. He gave Scourge, managed to halfway sit up, a pat on the back, further bruising his back and ego.

Amy quickly ducked her head, running out of the room. She almost tripped going down the stairs. At the front door, she spared a glance over her shoulder, catching Scourge looking down at her with masked rage while covered in plaster. The last thing she heard as she left the property, heading straight home, was the cry of someone saying how their parents were going to kill them.

….

"Scourge hasn't forgiven me for that, to say the least." Amy and Sonic stood side by side under the bleachers. Both looked out to the rain that had not lightened up in the least. "I was barely a teenager who wanted to make a quick friend, he wanted a quick hook up."

"Amy I-"

"That's the thing about Scourge," she cut him off, forcing him to face her, "he doesn't want friends. He just tricks people to get what he wants out of them. I thought he was charming just like every single other girl that's around him does, I just didn't give into the pressure he put on me."

"Doesn't he know how to take a hint?" Sonic kicked at the damp dirt. He knew that a couple years have passed since either one of them were freshmen, surely a guy would know when to quit. "You've made it clear that his advances won't ever work. Besides, he has Fiona who is a pretty girl dying for his attention."

"He doesn't bother me because he thinks I'm pretty. He bothers me because he wants to settle the score."

Amy turned her head to meet his eyes. He felt a pang at her glossy eyes and stained cheeks. Th tears had stopped falling, but he hated that he caused it in the first place. Sonic couldn't help but wonder how many times she had cried because of Scourge. He hated the thought.

Sonic could feel the distance that now hung between the two. He felt like Amy was looking at him like a stranger who had just slapped her. Her ears were flattened down. He could tell by the slight movement in her jaw that she was chewing on the inside of her cheek.

Another moment passed with no words exchanged. Amy finally gave in with a sigh. She didn't speak up like he expected her to. She simply turned away, walking up to the school and disappearing into the building.

Sonic didn't have the courage to run after her this time. He wished that she had yelled at him or slapped him, or anything other than _that._

His mind wandered to all the times they laid side by side, held hands or went running together. He played over the way it was so easy to make her laugh, which he figured was probably forced most of the time. Sonic wanted to do anything to make her laugh again.

The dating may have been fake, but the break up felt very real.


End file.
